The Red Blood of a Grey Knight
by BlackRoseGirl666
Summary: Everyone always assumed vampires were the ones with secret agendas. Watch the truth come out as the Kiryu family closet is slowly emptied of its skeletons under the careful eyes and intentions of Kaname Kuran. The chessboard is no longer white and black, ladies and gents, but red and grey all over. YAOI! Possible YURI! Main Pairing: KaZe Warnings: Swearing, violence, heavy kissing.
1. A Singel Rose Stands Alone

The room was still dark when Zero woke; head spinning and lungs gasping for the breath that his currant plight had stolen from him. Sweat coated his lithe, toned body and flames ate at his skin as he thrashed uselessly. His hands and arms were rigid and his back too tense to even arch in pain as the burning built.

Struggling to take in a deep breath, Zero closed his eyes and focused on something, _anything_. He couldn't bring himself to care what, so long as the burning just _stopped_.

Unwillingly, Zero felt himself spasm and jerk, his head flopping back into the pillows as his hands reached for his throat, which stung like someone had slit it with a knife. His fangs dug into his bottom lip with a vengeance as he tried to free himself from whatever was holding him in agony.

It went on like that for maybe a quarter of an hour before he finally managed to wrangle his self-control back from whatever had possessed him, leaving horrid exhaustion to eat at his bones and mind.

Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, Zero slowly let the air slip past his lips, wincing in discomfort as the breath caught in his sore throat. His chest moving in slow, conservative breaths, Zero whimpered in the silence. His eyes (his _red_ eyes, he was willing to bet) were slipping shut from the deadness he felt in his aching limbs.

_And it wasn't even that bad this time_, he thought ruefully.

Chuckling weakly, the weary silverette tossed an arm over his head and shifted so he could glance at the glowing numbers on his alarm clock. 5:42 AM. Fuck.

Deciding that moving at that current minute in time wasn't all that prudent (he still had a few minutes until his alarm would start blaring, after all), Zero just quirked his lips tiredly. He found himself content to stare up at the ceiling as the pre-dawn light painted everything in an eerie shade of blue.

This was what his life had been like for the last few months, ever since the after effects of the invasion of Cross Academy had begun to calm down. The attacks would come at him randomly, searing him with horrible heat and locking his body stiff with pain. Somewhere in there, his eyes usually turned red and his fangs grew like he was being hit with a bout of bloodlust. Something he, thankfully, hadn't experienced for real in months.

The attacks made his seal behave weirdly too, pulsing and crackling against his skin in not _exactly_ a painful way, but more of an uncomfortable one. Like something was straining against the binds of the seal's magic but not _quite_ breaking them; unlike the tearing, burning sensation he got when his sanity started slipping.

Zero liked to think that the attacks were a residual effect from whatever freaky vampire shit he'd encountered fighting Rido. Since he'd done his damnedest to keep everyone from finding out about the attacks, no one had been given the chance to burst his bubble.

Well, actually Zero figured it was either that first scenario or Kuran had finally grown the balls to work some freaky vampire shit of his own and curse him. Either or.

Zero's mind suddenly conjured up an image of Kaname Kuran wearing a blue wizard's hat covered with silver moons and stars, standing over a black cauldron whilst reciting a bunch of nursery rhyme words and looking like a bad Mickey Mouse. It took all of Zero's will power to keep from bursting out in a completely inappropriate giggle fit.

Snickering, Zero pulled himself up from the soft blue sheets of his bed and stood to his full six-foot height. He winced as his muscles rebelled against the action before slamming his hand down on the alarm, which was all of three minutes away from ringing.

Sighing, the eighteen-year-old hit the lights before changing the sheets (which were sweaty and bloody from his burst lip) before crossing to the dresser and grabbing what he needed for a shower.

Unlike Yuki's room, the last time her pureblood "majesty" had "allowed" him entrance, Zero's room was actually clean, some (cough, cough _Headmaster_) said almost to the point of obsession.

Of course it wasn't like he was actually obsessed with neatness (who the hell would think that from the way he dressed?). Nah, the reason his room was clean was because he just didn't have enough stuff for it to actually be all that difficult to keep in order.

The fact that the importance of organization was something drilled into young hunters from age five-and-up was notwithstanding.

Regardless of the reason, his clothes were still neatly folded and either placed in the set of contemporary dresser drawers that stood beside the door, or hung up in the closet on the opposite wall. A dark cherry desk was tucked in beside the dresser and played host to a myriad of electronics and school supplies, all neatly placed about and plugged in.

A red iPod shuffle was the only piece of technology free from the precise tangle of wires. Instead it found its home on a bedside table beside Zero's phone, which next to never left the room. On the other sat a digital alarm clock, though he rarely ever used it anymore between his insomnia and the attacks.

His secret pride and joy, a slightly beaten-up, white electric guitar, rested against the small window seat below the main window. Pressed against some of the only available wall space left (that being beside the adjoining bathroom door) was a shelving unit full of books ranging everywhere from Natural Geographic to the latest installment of the _Godchild_ manga series.

Other than those things though, Zero didn't have a whole hell of a lot. Anything of his that was irreplaceably personal and couldn't be kept on his person was safe in a black backpack under his bed along with a change of clothes, close to three thousand dollars in cash and a few back up weapons he kept at the ready in case of an emergency where he needed to disappear.

That, actually, wasn't part of his hunter training; it was just Zero's own paranoia taking root.

(Not that his master would disapprove, though. Gods knew Yagari was a suspicious bastard.)

For all its bareness though, the room did have some personal touches (other than the large poster for the movie _Vampires Suck)._There _were_a couple pictures of himself, the Headmaster and Yuki before the Rido thing, a picture of his parents, himself and Ichiru before things had gone to hell there, one of himself, Ichiru and Yagari just after he and his twin had been accepted as Yagari's students, and a couple of him with his hunter friends from afterwards. All of which were proof that yes, he did indeed have a life.

Zero smiled slightly, what would the Night Class say if they found out about that?

He also had an assorted variety of band posters (ranging from, but not limited to: Hinder, Rise Against, Breaking Benjamin and many, many more), as well as a couple movie posters and a giant, life-sized poster of Cross backed by cork he used to help practice his knife throwing.

So far, he was proud to say he hadn't missed a vital spot once.

Feeling a little self-stratified at the thought of what the Night Class would do if they found out that no, he didn't actually spend all his time planning the down fall of vampire society, Zero got out of the shower and quickly slipped on his uniform, not really caring too much that it was only done up half-way properly.

Leaving the bathroom (which was just as violet, white, and cream as his bedroom had been before the posters had taken over the walls), Zero cast himself a quick look in the mirror above his dresser (just to check if his eyes were still red, which they weren't, thankfully) before pushing the earphones of his iPod in and locking the door on his way out.

Moving silently in the early morning light, Zero made his way up to the roof of the Day Class boys' dorm.

Surprisingly, this was one of the few places he could find some peace anymore. Smirking, Zero reasoned that it was because the door to the roof was supposed to be locked and no one had clued in yet that "someone" _might_ have used his vampire strength to snap the lock in a desperate attempt to escape, well, pretty much everything.

For you see, ever since the Rido Incident (as everyone was "cleverly" calling it, capitals and all), things had spun very much out of control.

The Hunter Association was in an uproar over the president and so on and so forth. Headmaster Cross and Toga Yagari were only _just_ keeping the hunters from going on a world-wide vampiric killing spree. Vampire society was on the verge of another revolution, a hundred plus human deaths still had to be covered up, no one knew how many of the Level Ds that Rido had created were still roaming around, and, most recently, Kuran had caused another scandal.

After the Rido Incident had been slightly straightened out, Kaname Kuran had decided to throw a hissy fit and destroy the Vampire Senate in a flurry of sparks and brightly colored firework. Thus making the Hunter Association even more flighty because some idiot had suggested the half-baked theory that Kuran was on a war path against all the major association in the 'Vampire World', including *insert dramatic pause* them.

Zero had actually laughed out loud at that, right at the official-looking oak table they'd all been gathered around.

Like Kuran gave a flying fuck what the Association did. So long as they didn't interfere with Kuran's plans, the Pureblood Prick would just pretend they didn't exist.

He had tried to explain that to the Hunter Council; he really, really had.

But unfortunately, no one on the Hunter Association Council seemed to have half a brain outside of Yagari, himself, and surprisingly, Cross. So, as of right now, the entire Association was in panic mode.

Oh, the joy.

They'd even gone so far as to "order" Kaname Kuran to return to Cross Academy until they managed to sort it all out.

Heh, like anyone could "order" Kuran to do anything.

Zero suspected the reason Kuran actually listened and did as he was "ordered" to do was because Yuki wanted him to.

Yeah, you heard right.

As it turned out, the Kuran Princess was actually pretty unhappy in her castle, if what he'd heard in the gossip rings was right. Rumor had it that Kuran was in a right, pissy mood as well.

Zero suspected the dream couple was going through some rocky water, and even more surprisingly, he couldn't bring himself to care (unless it was to laugh in their faces, of course).

Yuki had chosen Kuran.

He had learned to accept that.

Yuki had chosen to be the princess everyone had wanted her to be. She had chosen to leave everyone that had cared for her in the beginning in the dust; those included being Yori, himself, and a few others she now considered "beneath" her.

Zero snorted at that. And to think that he had once considered that girl to be someone he loved... The thought made Zero both want to laugh at the irony and cry for the girl she used to be.

But anyway, moving on before the old memories could threaten to drag him under…

With the way things were going, the Association had decided to move up the election date for the new president, who would actually have to be _elected_ via vote (how novel!) since the last one's family had been ruled out as successors due to the now-dead President's betrayal. According to the polls, Headmaster Cross was the forerunner with a couple of other hunters behind him by a good stretch.

Zero expected the old coot to be moving into his new office within the month.

As well as that bit of lovely political drama, the school had finished being rebuilt back to its former glory, with both the Night Class and Day Class intact now that the Night Class had returned from going off after Kuran. Ironically enough, the only real difference to Cross Academy now was that there were more hunter kids around because everyone (who knew) was freaked out about a repeat of the Rido Incident.

That said, just because the Rido Incident had only really caused one physical change, didn't mean that something societal hadn't been majorly affected.

Ever since Zero had taken down Rido Kuran, no one had questioned him. Level D or not he was now officially the most powerful hunter the Hunter/Vampire World had ever seen since the rebellion that had stared the whole thing. There were rumors going around that the only challenge he might face in the field was if Kaname Kuran, the mostly-official Vampire King himself, showed up for a fight.

No one had the guts to tell him to do anything he didn't want to do and even the Night Class looked at him with a new kind of respect now; not that Zero really cared.

Ever since the newly-revealed Kuran siblings had left, the world had just felt... dull.

Emotions weren't as sharp, his usual irritants now seemed inconsequential and problems just didn't seem all that important anymore. Zero's world had descended into a kind of fog, one that only cleared somewhat during one of the attacks he faced from time to time.

Sighing tiredly, Zero rested his hands on his knees, subconsciously pushing the deep, throbbing ache in his bones off to a dark corner in his mind as he tried to summon enough energy to get off the roof and drag his ass to class.

It was something that seemed like it was getting harder to do every day.

Everything around him just felt so... not there. Fuzzy. It was like he was surrounded by a shield of lukewarm water that made everything harder to connect to; harder to feel.

His constant aches and pains and sleep-deprived mind only helped the sensation.

His 'condition' haunted him constantly. Its after-effects making his life more difficult to live than the actual attacks did. It seemed like nothing, not even blood, could sooth the continual ache in his throat and fangs. No amount of time spent hiding in the dark could kill the sting in his eyes or the migraines. His body was drained and moving hurt but sleeping was hard to pull off without exceptional use of Tylenol (a good thing vampires couldn't OD, hm?).

And when you added the numbness…

Shaking his head in something akin to disbelief, Zero let a scary though pass through his mind.

He could no longer tell which one was worse.

Maybe this was his punishment for everything he'd ever done wrong over his life. Maybe he was fated to forever be caught in this mess before he finally gave up and died.

Or gave into—

Zero pushed that thought away before it could even be finished.

Sighing heavily, Zero pushed himself up from his sitting position on the roof and started walking to class. The sun was already high and the last thing he needed was extra lessons for being late.

* * *

**Okay! First try at Vampire Knight Fanfiction; hope I didn't screw up too bad! Had a great time writing this, if you liked it and want to see more please review!**

**Reviews are life for this story! Please Review!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**

**Edit: This chapter was beta'ed by the fabulous SunaT.U! Everybody make sure to give her a round of applause! **


	2. In the Eyes of the Beheld

Kuran Manor was a large, opulent home that had survived hundreds of years of wars and upsets. It had been remodeled many times over the decades, each new generation seeming to add something new to the luxurious mansion or to the seventeen acre grounds. The result was an oddly beautiful mismatch of its original imperial Japanese roots and decidedly old-world European add-ons.

A long, slim stone driveway led from the main road and up through a minefield of twists and turns before finally ending at a tall, menacing iron gate that was heavily laden with protective magic. Past the gate was a courtyard of sorts, with a roundabout drive and an Italian-influenced fountain situated at its center. Beyond that was the main house; a white monstrosity with marble pillars holding up the roof and a set of matching marble steps leading up to the rich ebony doors.

Carved into those doors were a sun and a moon, one on each, with two back to back 'K's just the same. They were strange carvings to have on the doors of the manor, as the Kuran coat-of-arms bore none of those symbols, but they remained just the same, a story for another time.

Hidden from view just behind the house those doors were situated in was a wide variety of attractions and time wasters. A stable which remained mostly empty, a vibrant rose maze that one could wonder in for hours, a beautiful Japanese rock garden surrounded by cherry blossom trees, and a luxurious pool house, just to name a few.

The entire estate was locked away behind hundreds upon hundreds of shields and wards that kept the manor inaccessible to anyone wishing any of the residents of the home harm. It was also laden with defensive magics that confused those unwanted guests and sent them wandering off into the forests that bordered the manor, which they rarely ever wander out of.

This was where Kaname had whisked Yuki and himself away to after the mess back at Cross Academy. This was where he had planned for them to start over together, be happy, and maybe even raise a family.

Heh, talk about sweet dreams.

Currently Kaname Kuran, the last heir to the Vampire Crown if he so chose, stood in the conservatory of the manor, looking out blankly at the English rose maze that took up much of the backyard. The sun crept up lazily and painted everything in its vivid colors.

Kaname knew he should have been asleep at this time of day, or maybe in the arms of his supposed one true love, Yuki Cross.

Kaname snorted quietly; not in this lifetime.

Closing his eyes, Kaname quietly tried to place where things had started to falter. The answers he came up with no longer shocked him (he'd realized them a rather long time ago, after all), but they still made anger flood through his veins.

The truth was things had never really been… _right_, between Yuki and himself.

It wasn't like life was absolute _agony_. Yuki was still pleasant to be around and pretty to look at, but… that was it. Just pretty and pleasant.

And Kaname was starting to resent her for it.

At first, life had been sweet; the Senate was no longer present, he could do as he pleased, and most of all, he had won Yuki. Kiryu could no longer touch her. She was all his for the rest of time and nothing could have made him happier. Or at least, that's how it had been for the first few weeks. But then it had all started to unravel.

Kaname frowned. No, maybe that time had only just _seemed _sweeter. In truth, ever since he'd left Cross Academy things had seemed to lose their pleasure for Kaname.

Yuki's smile no longer seemed as awe-inspiring and her innocent attitude had begun to grate heavily on his nerves. How was it that she couldn't see the reality of a situation? Was she really that naive, that clueless? She could never see the weight of the situation at hand; she always thought it would just turn out right in the end, like life could never do her wrong...

And her eyes, her eyes that only showed the unrelenting happiness that only innocence brought.

She had the eyes of a child. The eyes of someone who had never seen the true ugliness of the world and could never show true appreciation for the beautiful things that hid amongst the horror because of it.

She had eyes that could never show the true resolve that only great sadness and perseverance could bring; eyes that could never show true heartbreak or regret for she had never known either of them.

And most of all, they were eyes that could never show the passion that his heart, his mind, and his soul all craved. A kind of passion that could help him, _heal_ him, show him that life could be bearable or enjoyable, even. Or a passion that could just as easily break him into a thousand bloody pieces with just a look.

Yuki's eyes, though beautiful and bright, could never, ever show him the power that he needed to be present for him to truly let his guard down and show his real, broken self. If Yuki's eyes were to show hatred or disappointment towards him, yes, he would feel sadness at it. But it would not break him as it should.

And Kaname could never love her like he should because of that.

It was horrible for the both of them, Kaname knew. Their relationship, his and Yuki's, was hurting so many more people than just themselves and it was all Kaname's fault. This was only made worse by the fact that, unlike Yuki, he actually knew the identity of the one he was supposed to be with. He'd tasted their blood, even; though not in a way he particularly liked to remember.

Kaname never liked to remember how much he'd hurt _him_.

But still, Kaname knew his mate was out there. Not even hidden so much as just a few hundred miles away whilst he, Kaname, continued to stand behind Yuki; his lovely, false queen.

The fact that he knew just added to Kaname's torment; the beautiful nightmares that chased him while he slept.

They always started the same, with an all-black canvas where a shape would slowly form. That shape would then become clearer and more obviously human. He (because for all his delicacy, Kaname knew his mate was male) would be tall with a lithe, toned body and porcelain skin. His face would be oddly beautiful, with high cheekbones and soft, cherry blossom lips. His hair would fall in uneven silver waves to just a bit above his masculine shoulders and in messy, unkempt bangs to his brow.

Silver would glint at the top of his ear and a black design on his neck would show through his hair when he moved. His fingers would be long and slim and made for plucking the strings of a guitar or tapping the keys of a piano though callused at the knuckle from pulling at a gun trigger without gloves. And then, last but the part that always hit Kaname the hardest, his eyes would come into focus.

They were like oceans of purple fire, flickering and deadly. Hard like diamonds and rough like unrefined amethyst. They glittered coldly; caution and confusion and disgust and disdain gathering in their depths when they sighted Kaname.

His mouth, full like Cupid's bow, would pull into a hard line. His hands, before hanging carelessly at his sides, would curl around a gun; the one he was never without. He would stare at Kaname silently for a second, before mouthing silently words that Kaname never wanted to hear.

_This is your fault._

Seconds later there would be a gunshot and Zero Kiryu's body would crumble in on itself. The gun would fall from his pale hand and the world would spin. Kaname would wake up with Zero's name on his lips and tears in his eyes. He would not sleep again for the next two or three days before exhaustion caught up with him again.

The guilt would haunt him continually.

It was his fault. His fault for hurting Zero, for using him, for pushing him to the edge. He was the reason his angel (an angel with pale porcelain colored skin that moved and shifted with all the grace and elegance of silk in the wind. An angel that had so willingly thrown his life away for a false queen who had no right to the throne; all under the order of a foolish, selfish king who could not see the truth behind his own lies) would die.

The thought was almost enough to break Kaname right then and there in the conservatory. The knowledge that he would have felt it if Zero had actually pulled the trigger the only thing keeping him from falling to pieces.

It was so horrible that he'd taken this long to realize how much the other was to him. It really was ridiculous when you thought about it.

Sure, all his plots had had Yuki as the prize, but the center piece had always been Zero. How would he react? What would he do? How would it affect him? The only thing that had been missing was the care for the consequences. Something he assumed had become mixed up with his confusion over Yuki. Something that was now as far from confused as you could get.

Zero was an angel, _his_ angel, who had suffered. Who had been broken and then been haphazardly thrown back together again for the convenience of others and yet had never bowed at their feet like the slave they wanted him to be.

It was the eyes of that angel (the angel who appeared in his dreams late into the daylight hours to haunt him, never letting him forget the terror and pain he was causing, never letting him forget his many grave mistakes that had been solved for him) that he loved.

It was that angel he would have now at any cost.

Roses bloomed in deep reds and pinks from the wooden flower box perched outside Yuki's window, annoyingly getting in her line of sight as she futilely peered through the diamond-leaded glass to the conservatory, which she could just see from her third-floor bedroom. There, she just knew in her heart, her fiancé would be, pacing and worrying and not telling her a thing about why.

Letting out a deep, troubled sigh Yuki finally glanced away from the window, defeated. The early morning lights were playing havoc with her newly vampiric eyes and giving her a headache. Besides, she thought, feeling vaguely annoyed, it wasn't like she was going to find anything out anyway.

Kaname almost never talked when he went to the conservatory. When he did, it was in whispers pitched too low for even her sensitive vampire hearing to pick up. It drove her nearly as mad as the depressive look on his face did.

Yuki sighed again and started picking at the intricately tied ribbons at the neck of her nightgown, mind and heart at an utter loss of what to do. Kaname had been like this ever since they had arrived at the mansion; quiet and mournful, when in her opinion, he had nothing to mourn over. He rarely ever smiled and he always seemed pained when he spoke, as though he was trying to heal some great wound no one, not even she, could see.

Yuki had tried her hardest to help him by offering to talk to him whenever he needed it, smiling at him when he walked in the room, trying to sooth him with her touches. She'd made sure to always wear a smile on her face whenever he was there in an attempt to lighten the mood. She wore only the clothes that he had picked out for her in an effort to make him feel that she valued him and his opinions, but…

Watching him through her window as he stared blankly at the ever-rising sun with such loneliness as she had never seen before... she couldn't help but wonder if this wound was not meant for her to heal.

Yuki felt tears build in her eyes as she slid down the now drape-covered, floor-length window. She pulled her knees up to her chest when she hit the soft, beige carpet, her pretty silk nightgown ruffling around her as she rested her head on her knees.

Initially when they had arrived at the mansion, things had been so good. Although Kaname had not come right out and said it as she'd hoped he would, he had seemed to love her immensely. He had always given her a fresh rose when he saw her or a small kiss on the cheek, things she treasured dearly to this day.

But as time wore on, it seemed like a dark cloud had covered the entire manor. At first Kaname had just made less of an effort towards her (not that he'd made much of one before). But then things had progressed to the point that he didn't even look at her when they were in the same room.

Yuki shook her head sadly and pulled herself to her feet before padding over to her ornate, queen-sized bed. Pulling down the pink rose sheets, she prepared to settle for another troubled, solitary day.

There was another thing, Yuki thought, thoroughly dissatisfied. It was so hard to believe that they were only a few months to their wedding. The way he acted towards her, it was like he had no desire for her at all.

That was one of the main reasons she had been so agreeable towards the Hunter Association when they had "asked" her and Kaname to return to Cross Academy. She had felt that if Kaname and herself returned to the place where they had first fallen in love, then maybe they might be able to find what had first brought them together and reignite the love that she had first seen in Kaname's eyes.

Yuki smirked dully, an old saying of her former foster brother, Zero Kiryu's, drifting through her sleepy head.

_Vampires always have an ulterior motive._

* * *

**Hope you all like this! I had fun writing Kaname's little bit at the top and then Yuki's last couple lines at the end :) Anyway, thanks all of you who have Reviewed, Alerted or Favorited me; you would not have this chapter without them! **

**And everyone give a big round of applause to my wonderful beta, SunaT.U! **

**Also, pretty please send a Review? Please?**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	3. The One to Pull the Trigger

The dark storm clouds let no light from the stars guild the way of the all black luxury car as it glided up the driveway to Cross Academy. It stopped directly at the front of the school where the headmaster of the Academy, Kaiden Cross, and five different prefects all stood awaiting the car's arrival.

Four of the prefects stood behind the Headmaster in a line. Each one was wearing a pleasant but blatantly fake smile and standing stick straight with their hands locked behind their backs as they awaited the arrival of the last two students to come to Cross Academy for the rest of the year.

The headmaster himself had a large grin placed on his face as he awaited his beloved adopted daughter and her older brother to come out of the car and greet him. Really, the only one out of the group of six people that didn't seem to be affected by the arrival of the new students was the young silver haired teenager that stood beside the headmaster.

His bright, violet eyes were cold as death as he stared at the approaching vehicle. A light breeze gently ruffled the boy's silver hair, almost as if it was trying to comfort the stoic youth. But unfortunately, the only effect it had on the young man was to tighten his grip on the silver gun that rested snugly in its holster at his hip.

Zero did not like the feeling he was getting from the car or really anyone there. There was too much hate and mistrust between those approaching those already present for anything to really go smoothly.

Zero snorted quietly at his passing thought; not that anything at the school had ever really 'gone smoothly'. It seemed predestined that something would always come along and wreck whatever peace anyone ever managed to create at Cross Academy.

Casting a quick look at the eerie half-moon that hung bright in the only cloudless part of the sky, Zero couldn't help but mumble a little prayer he'd been taught during his hunter training under his breath.

He'd always found the moon somewhat comforting, but tonight... he just felt it added all the more unease to the atmosphere.

The entire thing felt jumpy to him, like the world's balance was just waiting for something to come and tip the scales again. Scales he'd worked so damn hard to keep the way they were.

Closing his eyes briefly he mumbled the little prayer over again in the hunters' official language; an odd mixture of ancient Japanese and Latin, silently hoping it would be enough to prove his instincts wrong.

* * *

Kaname let a silent sigh slip past his lips as the driver did the unneeded and called out their arrival, unknown to him if it was one of relief or nerves.

For the last week he'd been locked in cars and planes and luxurious hotel rooms with no one but Yuki and his servants for company. He'd done so much paperwork to get away from the first that he was nearly all caught up. And judging from the fact that he'd pretty much ignored his paperwork for the last two years, that was saying something.

It would be a relief to have another excuse to get a little space from her.

But on the other hand… Zero was here.

That alone had his nerves twisting and his stomach rolling.

Gritting his teeth, Kaname gathered his courage (helped along by his desperation to get away from Yuki's continuing questions) and pulled open the door, stepping out with all his natural elegance and his face hidden behind a politely distant mask.

As his eyes had unconsciously searched out the hunter (thus leaving him with no time to prepare), Kaname figured no one could blame him when his lungs stopped working once he spotted the silverette.

Zero's face could have been carved from marble for all the emotion he displayed. His violet eyes glinted like wild amethysts in the moon's light. Shadows danced over his delicate features as he stood looking completely unruffled just a few feet away from the pureblood by one of the ancient cherry blossom trees that dotted the campus.

A look of mild distain moved onto the silverette's lovely face as their eyes connected, giving Kaname the lingering feeling of a child who had been caught doing something bad by those who were meant to watch over him.

Zero's soft lips were pulled into a tight line of restraint as he matched gazes with Kaname. His eyes hardened further as he glared at the pureblood, refusing to give into the brunette's wine-colored gaze. The hand he had resting on Bloody Rose tightened even more.

Kaname did his best to hide the small tremor in his hands as he took in the younger vampire. Gods, he looked so similar to how he always did in Kaname's nightmares…

Shifting his eyes away from Zero's hard stare, Kaname continued to look over the hunter. He felt awe at the youth rise as he etched Zero's current image into his mind.

The Zero before him looked to be every bit the reaper. _Every bit a vampiric royal_, a traitorous, _scheming_ part of his mind whispered gleefully. The Bloody Rose glinted menacingly at his side as the moonlight bounced off it, giving the weapon an even more ethereal appearance than the magic that helped form it usually lent it.

He was dressed haphazardly in the black Day Class uniform (Kaname secretly wondered if he'd look just as menacing in a white Night Class one). The chain from Bloody Rose was unabashedly flowing from below his untucked dress shirt. His blood red tie hung low around his neck and as always, Zero's silver piercings were just visible through his messy hair.

Altogether, Kaname wondered how he ever let Zero out of his grasp. How was it possible that he could have ever overlooked the other? Had he been blind or just stupid?

Zero looked so beautiful here; so strong, fearsome even. His eyes were so deep and cold, Kaname longed to try and shake their resolve, to touch him in a way that would make him shiver.

To Kaname, Zero looked like something precious. Something that he, Kaname Kuran, was not to touch.

Something that, if Kaname had been a good person, with a full set of morals, he would have left well enough alone.

Depending on which point of view you stood by, it could be considered either a good thing or a bad thing that Kaname had stopped being categorized as 'good' a number of years ago.

Silently promising himself that in the end he would be the one to claim Zero, Kaname – with great effort – managed to pull his gaze away from the silver-haired hunter and quickly offered a hand to Yuki as he helped her out of the car.

Yuki too looked beautiful in the moonlight, though he thought so only in a very brotherly way.

The young Kuran Princess wore a light grey, full-bodied skirt that just went to her knees with a pair of white stockings and brown leather boots that hugged her calves, making her look dainty and breakable. Over the top of this, she wore a dark gray peacoat with two rows of six medium sized black buttons doing up the front with her long, chocolate hair out flying around her in the wind.

Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her eyes were as bright as her smile as she clasped his hand and slid from the car with all of the grace she'd never had as a human. She sent him a slightly wider smile over her shoulder as she dashed off to greet Cross, hugging him around the neck as they clung to each other and squealed like happy children.

In that moment, Kaname couldn't help but think how this must have looked to everyone watching.

The Perfect Prince, swooping elegantly to help out his beautiful Princess. Then standing back politely and gazing after her as she ran to greet her father, who embraced her lovingly as they chatted.

Fuck, even the Academy, standing tall and ornate in the night, resembled a fucking castle.

How unfortunate that the entire thing made him want to gag.

Turning his head just the slightest, Kaname took in Zero's reaction…

And immediately winced in reaction.

The silver-haired hunter was glaring icy daggers at Yuki's form. With his enhanced vision, Kaname could just catch leaping flames of red in the other's eyes. Dazed confusion and anger shone in his mate's jealous gaze as a desperate wish for raw violence contorted his body into something primal and predatory.

Kaname was somewhat shocked by this, not quite understanding his unclaimed destined's rage for a moment until it hit him all at once. Zero didn't know what was going on. He was a D, meaning that the effects of a vampire's bond with their mate weren't going to be something he understood or even knew much about, even if he was a hunter.

Meaning that he wasn't going to know how to control it…

Kaname had his body ready to move if Zero made to attack Yuki when Cross's voice rung out.

"Zero!" the happy-go-lucky ash-blonde called. The silverette's attention immediately snapped to him.

"How about you and the others head in?" he suggested with a grin. "I'm sure no one's going to be sneaking about tonight."

Zero looked at the headmaster for all of two second before turning on his heel and disappearing. The four other prefects fell in behind him near-seamlessly.

The man known as Kaiden Cross then turn his attention back to the siblings. He chattered a hundred miles per minute about anything and everything and somehow threw in an invite to his privet quarters for tea and catch up. Yuki, of course, grinned and agreed without another look at Kaname.

The pureblood sighed gently under his breath as he started on the walk towards Cross's privet quarters. He was slowly getting farther and farther away from his mate as Zero continued to walk with the other hunter children towards the Day Class dorms. One or two of them would speak to Zero or crack joke which the silverette would snort at.

Oh, what Kaname would have given to stand beside Zero instead of Yuki.

The pureblood smirked slightly as that thought left his mind. It seemed that there was going to be another game of chess staged at Cross Academy. And this time Zero would most definitely not be playing the part of the knight, no matter how gray his part may have been the first time around.

* * *

Seeing as he was so absorbed with his plotting, Kaname totally missed the knowing look Cross shot him, leaving the ash-blonde to cackle to mentally at the irony.

* * *

Zero threw himself down on his bed carelessly. His lithe body bounced slightly as he let himself fall gracelessly onto the comforter, the same question replaying over and over again in his mind, getting louder as it repeated: _why dose that damn Kuran still have power over me?_

He had given up on ever having any chance at having Yuki, he had no desire to fight with Kuran in anyway, really, and he no longer felt bloodlust (another question he didn't have the answer to). So then what was left for Kuran to hold over him?

Dammit all! He had made himself swear on the life of his brother that he would never let _either_ of those damned purebloods tear him apart again…

So why? Why did Zero feel his heart break when Kaname flinched under his glare? Usually, that was a highlight of his day. Why did, as soon as Kaname and Yuki return, everything feel so much… _better_?

As soon as Kaname had turned his eyes on Zero the aching migraine the hunter had been dealing with since around noon had subsided. And instead of his near-continual disinterest, he'd _actually_ been able to pay attention to the proceedings.

The fact that his disinterest had been replaced with mildly simmering rage was non-consequential. At least he'd been able to recognize what he was feeling, something that had eluded him for months. The reprieve from the fuzziness had been near paradise.

Though on the other hand, Zero thought miserably, the lack of the pain for that little spell of time had led to _this_.

The confusion he felt over the entire thing was rivaled only by the dull ache that chased through his body. His throat was killing him again and his fangs pulsed in his mouth like he was going through another bout of bloodlust, which was ridiculous because he would have felt the effects long before now if that had been the case. His chest felt tight and he already found himself not caring that it was getting harder to breath.

It was hell.

Hell that would go away with just a little less restraint on his part, if her just gave —

_No!_

Zero shook his head hard, resting his forehead in the palms of his hands and trying with great desperation to shake his previous thoughts from his mind. He couldn't stop now, not when he'd promised Cross he wouldn't. Zero would be damned before he broke his promise to just '_hold on'_ to that man.

But… Cross didn't know how close he was anymore. How hard it was to keep it together, like it had been tonight.

When Zero had seen Kaname bend down and help Yuki out of the car... he wasn't sure what had happened.

One minute he was just watching the scene before him, trying to convince himself that he didn't care one way or the other, and the next... he'd felt so much hurt and despair. It had been like losing everything all over again – he'd just wanted it to _end_.

And somehow, his brain had figured that rending Yuki limb from limb would be the answer.

Zero let his head fall listlessly against the bedding. Fuck.

Was this what losing his sanity would be like? Would it all finally end when he started killing those he swore to protect? Was this what those other level E had gone through before their deaths?

"No," Zero whispered hoarsely to himself. "I won't let it come to that," he swore softly, rolling onto his back and sitting up, absently fingering Bloody Rose.

Resolve built in his eyes and soul, his hand tightening around the trigger. "If push comes to shove I'll pull the trigger before I lose it," Zero murmured, his words sinking into the walls of his room as he pulled himself up jerkily from the bed to change into something easier to crash in than his uniform.

* * *

**Hmmmm, I'm going to say my favorite parts of this chapter are Kaname's last line and Zero's bit at the end, what do you think? Anyway, please review!**

**Also, give hugs and kisses of gratitude to SunaT.U for betaing, everybody! **

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	4. The Only One

Zero woke gasping for breath. His violet eyes were flung wide in the dark as a particularly demanding ache tore its way along his spine before resonating out towards his cramping fingers.

Fire raced along his veins, sweat breaking out on his brow as his body shifted restlessly. An aching moan slithered past his lips as lightning cracked against his skin. He choked on his own blood, a product of his fangs cutting into his abused lower lip.

That had been an hour ago.

Breathing in ragged gasps, Zero glanced desperately at his digital alarm clock, whining a little when he saw that just fifteen minutes had passed since his last check.

_Why is this attack taking so long to go away? _He thought desperately. Clamping his eyes shut, Zero moaned again. Was it just him, or was it getting worse?

Slowly, far more so than ever before, his body began to relax. The waves of fire thrashing his mind and body became milder and farther apart before stopping completely, leaving only small ripples in their wake.

Groaning, Zero rolled over onto his side, focusing all his will power on keeping himself from being sick. Breathing deeply, the silverette gently rolled himself back onto his bed, allowing himself a few more minutes to assess his current condition before forcing himself to get up.

Nausea.

That was new.

As was the dizziness and the cold flashes he'd been getting for the last week since the Kurans had returned. Usually the attacks mostly dealt with more painful symptoms, like black-out inducing migraines and the sensation that his skin was on fire.

Ergo: something was up.

Sighing in resignation, Zero pulled himself up into a sitting position. He winced slightly at the sharp pains the movements brought him and then proceeded to shove the covers off himself and gather his things for a shower.

Absentmindedly, Zero went over to his laptop and flipped it on. After hitting a few different keys and one or two clicks from the little pad, music started blaring out of the speakers that were hooked up to the back of the laptop.

Smiling bitterly to himself as he began, Zero only half-consciously whispered out the chorus of the song.

_And I just thought that you should know_

_I've been holding on while you've been letting go, can I be so bold?_

_'Cause all this sucking up to you is just getting old_

_Well, it's not too late to say it right this time_

_'Cause I know I said I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant to say!_

Zero couldn't help but laugh slightly. If only he could actually sing that chorus and mean it.

As much as he swore up and down and screamed it at anyone who would listen, Zero knew he could never truly say he had let go of Yuki. He knew that if it came down to it, he'd never be able to pull that trigger on her.

On himself? Sure, he could handle that. On Headmaster? Some days it was just plain _scary_ how capable of shooting that buffoon he was. On anyone else in the entire fucking world? With probable cause, most likely. But not Yuki, never Yuki...

And if fucking pissed him off!

Flipping the shower on, Zero stood under the freezing cold water, knowing from experience that it would at least help numb some of the last lingering effects of his most recent attack.

His brows knitting together in a frown, Zero ran a hand through his soaking silver hair. Maybe his earlier thought was wrong, for a split second it seemed utterly impossible for him to...

Zero mentally slapped himself.

There was no way in hell he was even going to consider finishing that sentence. Simply because it was, if rather bluntly, full of crap!

Shutting the water off with a little more force than strictly needed, Zero quickly toweled himself off and started to haphazardly throw on his uniform. All the while fighting with himself over the little thought that had popped up in his head.

There was absolutely no way in hell that he, Zero Kiryu, even marginally harbored any feelings for Kuran besides extreme loathing, hate, and utter disgust! Gods, what the hell was going on with him? It wasn't like he could even _entertain_ the idea of caring for a vampire more than he already did! It was one of his fucking golden rules!

All it would take was one taste of his blood. One hint at what he was hiding, and things would become irrevocably fucked! And not just for him either.

The Hunter Association would be thrown under scrutiny (which they couldn't take anymore of right now). The scandal would inevitably leak in to the Vampire World, making them ask questions that they wouldn't like…

Everything he had worked _so_ hard to hide would be most unfortunately hauled out from under the nice little camouflage of lies he had put into place and out into the open where it would be looked at until everyone finally found out the truth and that just could _not_ happen. Not when everything was _finally_ starting to slow down and settle.

He wouldn't fucking let it!

Zero stormed out of the Day Class boys' dorm with a fearsome glare marring his face. He quickly glanced up at the murky, black sky and noticed just how high the moon had risen. He estimated that it was probably about half-way through the Night Class school session, meaning that he had pretty much ditched Prefect Duties altogether.

The silverette sighed in irritation, rubbing his forehead where he felt a headache gathering. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, but it still left him feeling guilty…

And pissed at the questions that would spring up once word of his absence got around.

Sighing, Zero turned on his heel and stocked off towards the forest. He planned on using the rest of the night as a recoup-time before the next day's interrogation started.

* * *

Kaname felt extremely guilty.

Roughly an hour ago he had felt a horrible stab of pain run through his body. It had been like nothing he had ever felt before. It felt like each individual blood cell in his body had suddenly turned into a tiny shard of glass and began to attack him from the inside out.

The only reason Kaname hadn't dropped to his knees, crying out in pain, was his pureblood lineage (which immediately reacted to the pain in a search-and-heal kind of way) and his own force of will. Even then though, it had left him staring blankly in front of him, his hands trembling so bad he had been forced to hide them in his pockets in order to keep the tremors to himself.

It had taken him a few minutes to realize that no, he was not bleeding nor dying and that no, he had not been attacked, before Kaname had understood what had actually happened.

He was picking up on Zero's pain through their semi-formed link. The realization had shocked the tremors right out of him.

His Zero was in such horrible pain while he…

While _he_ was sitting beside a girl he didn't really love, drinking tea whilst she went over their marriage plans with her adopted father! Who, mind you, squealed more than your average piglet!

It had taken all his will to stop himself from lunging up from his seat right then and there and racing off to find Zero. The only reason for his hesitation being that _that_ particular reaction would clue too many people in to his real intentions and that Zero would kill him on sight if the prefect found out their 'situation' that way.

Either that or the news would tip Zero over the edge. An outcome that left Kaname terrified into waiting for a more discreet opportunity to leave.

After another ten minutes of half-way listening to Cross and Yuki giggle about what style of dress she would wear, Kaname had finally had enough and decided to make his own opportunity.

Coughing slightly to get the two's attention before speaking, Kaname put on his most charming smile and addressed the step-father and daughter before him.

"Yuki, love, I think I'll head back to the Moon Dorm for the rest of the night. I have some papers that need signing and besides," he said, casting a "loving" smile at her when he noticed she had opened her mouth to protest.

"It's not right for the groom to know about the bride's dress," he finished, tilting his head to the side slightly and winking at her.

_Okay_, sure. He knew that wasn't the _exact_ superstition. But at the moment he didn't really care, and seeing Cross swoon slightly at the romantic line and hearing Yuki's abundant giggling, he guessed they didn't either.

Quickly kissing Yuki on her forehead, Kaname swept out of Cross's private sitting room using the half-way blood bond he had formed with the hunter over the numerous times he had forced Zero to take his blood to guild him to wherever the silverette was. All the while, he cursed himself for not noticing something sooner.

But what the hell was it that he had missed? There was no blood in the air, meaning that Zero hadn't been injured enough to bleed, and Kaname could sense no magical energy interfering with the wards around the Academy. Poisons, the pureblood guessed, were an option. But Kaname had enough trust in his mate's skills (and paranoia) as a hunter to be able to avoid something as simple as that. And besides, there weren't many poisons that could harm Zero like this in the first place.

So that begged the question, who the fuck was harming his Zero and how in hell were they doing it?

After running at top speed on naturally silent feet and using the faint blood-bond to his full advantage, Kaname finally spotted Zero. The young hunter was leaning against a tree in a small clearing not too far from school grounds, though still far enough that no one (excepting Kaname, not that Zero yet knew) would be able to find him without Zero leaving a trail behind.

And even from only knowing Zero as an enemy/pawn (much to his shame) Kaname could still tell that that was something the hunter had never considered doing before.

This place, with its softly shuddering tress and peaceful air, was obviously something of a haven to the silverette; the knowledge made Kaname feel a special kind of horrible for spying on him in it.

Then though, the pain pricked him again and his former guilt melted away as concern overrode it.

But… something was wrong.

Longish grace danced gracefully in the gentle wind as the moonlight shone down on them, painting the trees' green leaves silver and casting an innocent light on the little clearing. Zero's lithe body was tense. Yes, an idiot could have figured that out, as the violet-eyed teen laid back against a tree, but he was no more so than he had been when Kaname and Yuki had first arrived.

Even the hunter's face was strange; wrong. Zero's expression was calm – very nearly blank, really – but not like he was trying to hide himself. It was more relaxed than that, more… _Zen_, almost.

It was not what Kaname had been expecting.

With the pain the pureblood had felt, Kaname had expected the young ex-human to be on his knees, not standing there as if...

Nothing had changed.

A chilling thought ran through Kaname. What if nothing really had changed? What if this pain was a normal thing? What if Zero had gotten _used_ to it?

The thoughts made his face pale. What if this really was nothing new to him? How long would someone have to live with this kind of pain for it to become unnoticeable?

Kaname mentally kicked himself. Why hadn't he picked up on this before? Sure, the blood-bond was only half complete, but shouldn't he have picked up on this when Zero had fed off him?

Had this even effected Zero when he still fed off of Kaname? Was it caused by something Rido had done during their battle? Did Cross know? Why hadn't that blonde _idiot_ said anything to him?

Then again, it wasn't like Kaname really had any _conceivable_ reason to need to know anything about the hunter. Fuck, looking at his track record in regards to Zero, Kaname wouldn't be surprised if Cross had thought that Kaname would just use Zero's situation to get the hunter executed and decided to cover it up.

_If Cross even knows, _Kaname thought bitterly and maybe, just maybe, a hint admiringly. Zero always had been good at keeping things to himself.

Shaking his head to clear away the thoughts, Kaname moved quietly through the trees, tucking away his aura so that nothing and no one would sense him before coming to an abrupt stop twenty or so feet from where Zero now sat amongst the grass. His back was still to the tree.

_The pain just stopped_, Kaname thought, slightly dazed. Not faded or given any signal as to quitting out but just... stopped. Almost like someone had thrown a switch.

Immediately violet eyes were on him, an intense glare replacing the once calm look that had covered the silverette's face. Zero's body shifted next, posture becoming ridged and tense like a trapped animal that refused to go down without a fight.

He was on his feet and ready for a fight in maybe a second, his hand on Bloody Rose so quickly that if not for Kaname's vampiricly enhanced sight, he wouldn't have caught it.

It was amazing, really, though not something that Kaname hadn't expected. After all, you didn't become the best by being weak, did you?

All in all, it was an effort to keep his proud grin off his face and remember that his mate's frighteningly lethal battle skills would be aimed at him, not at some horrible attacker, as he stepped away from the protection of the trees, letting his grip on his aura slip slightly at the same time.

"Kuran."

Kaname flinched slightly at the tone, though not enough for anyone to notice. After all, he deserved it. Hell, when you added up all the 'bad' (and he used the term loosely) things he had done to Zero alone, you'd probably figure he deserved one hell of a lot more than one measly little glare. Even if it was a Zero Kiryu Death Glare.

At one time he might have been proud of that, but now he only hoped that he could make up for it.

"Kiryu."

Kaname returned it coolly, keeping all emotion out of his voice even though he knew it would only riel the hunter. That was actually what he was hoping for.

If he had learned anything over his years of antagonizing and manipulating the silverette, it was that it was far harder to get an answer out of Zero when he was in control of himself.

And yes, he did feel extreme amounts of guilt when it came to how he'd learned that.

"What do you want?" Zero hissed out, hate and distaste clear in his voice. Kaname was once again forced to hide a flinch.

"Have you been feeding?" Kaname asked, trying to hide the desperation in his voice with venom and arrogance. He knew that the question didn't mean much as of right now but he had no other excuse to be talking to Zero.

They were supposed to be enemies after all. It wasn't like he could just come right out and say: 'Hi, I'm your mate. I hurt you repeatedly and now expect you to tell me everything that happened to you in the last year!' now could he?

This was the only way he could think of to get close enough to Zero to see if something was wrong with the silverette. Besides, if he did manage to get Zero to feed, then maybe he'd be able to pick something up after their blood-bond strengthened some from the exchange.

Kaname watched as Zero's beautiful violet eyes widened fractionally, obviously surprised. Suspicion danced blatantly amongst the purple of his gaze, but it was the small flicker of blood-red flames that really caught the older vampire's attention.

Kaname smirked slightly, all the while feeling like utter trash on the inside. He knew it was wrong to do this to Zero. He knew it damaged Zero every time Kaname forced it on him. That it made Zero fear the predator inside himself even more, but Kaname just couldn't find another option.

And it wasn't like it was any turnoff for Kaname either. The pureblood could admit that he had sorely missed the feeling of Zero's petal-soft lips on his skin. The sharp pain that filled him as the younger teen's fangs sunk into his neck, the knowledge that he was the only one that could truly satisfy Zero's cravings…

It was a delectable and addicting feeling.

Slowly moving closer to where Zero stood, Kaname carefully backed the silverette up against the tree the violet eyed teen had been standing in front of. Slowly, slowly, making it harder and harder for his angel to run.

* * *

Zero felt his breathing quicken as the pureblood drew closer, a mocking smirk on his lips as he backed Zero up against a tree. Zero never even knew what was happening until he felt the bark of the tree scrape against his jacket.

Growling under his breath, Zero hesitantly pushed himself harder against the tree, biting down harshly on his lower lip as he began cursing his luck.

Everything had been going so well up until Kaname had arrived. The pain had subsided enough for him to not be on constant guard and he had decided to disappear for a bit. Just long enough for him to gather his thoughts but not long enough for anyone to recognize his absence. And then this idiot had come and wrecked it.

And his instincts were telling him that it would only get worse from here.

Zero mentally criticized himself. He should have known to run as soon as the pain had disappeared. He _knew_ Kaname was the only one who could do that (though he didn't know why). So why the hell hadn't he run?

Zero was woken from his musings by the ruffling of fabric. Looking up slightly, he saw that Kaname had undone the top buttons of his shirt to reveal the pale-white skin of his neck. Zero hissed at the sight, his hunter instincts refusing to let his vampire side free to enjoy the scent that the pureblood's racing blood gave off.

Setting his jaw, Zero readied himself for a battle both physically and mentally. If he somehow did wind up feeding from this bastard tonight, it definitely wasn't going to be willingly.

Gathering his strength in an attempt to throw the older vampire off him, Zero found that, to his immense shock, both his hands had already been pinned up above his head, leaving him thrashing and completely defenseless against the pureblood so long as Kaname had a grip on him.

Zero felt himself still for a second as his vampire half realized the futility of the situation. He felt his heart pick up speed as Kaname drew closer to him, successfully pinning him to the tree before his hunter side resurface and he started thrashing again. A low growl rose in his throat when he heard the pureblood chuckle lightly at his attempts at escape.

Turning his face to the side, Zero could only pray that Kaname couldn't see the blush he felt building on his cheeks.

Kaname was so close now, Zero could feel the other vampire's chest pushing up against his. He could feel Kaname's warm breath brush up against his face as he closed what little space there was between them, using his right leg to pin Zero closer to him while his other hand drifted up behind him to rest at nape of the hunter's neck.

Gasping, Zero cursed as he felt his inner monster thrash inside himself. Feeling himself begin to panic, Zero desperately tried to move away. He tried to find a patch of air that wasn't coated in Kaname's addictive scent, desperately tried to hang on to his ever crumbling resolve...

* * *

Seeing Zero's iron will slowly start to wear away was both the most saddening and the most beautiful thing Kaname had ever bared witness too. The way his cool, violet eyes slowly slipped into a bloodthirsty red was almost hypnotizing in its beauty. And yet, the state of his eyes, just before they became red and the haze took over, that last look of panic and fear of what he was about to do... that image had always been one of the most common to haunt Kaname's dreams when he slept.

Sighing too quietly to be heard, Kaname took the opportunity of the younger's fading resistance to draw a red line on his neck with a sharpened fingernail. He watched in awed dread as the silverette's eyes glazed over with red flames while he stubbornly tried to ignore the flicker of fear that danced in the red fire.

It got easier from that point on, though. It seemed that not even Zero could keep his inner predator locked away forever in the face of Kaname's blood. Especially as Kaname was his mate.

It was only two or three seconds before Kaname felt the telltale feather-light pressure of Zero's lips dancing over his skin, zeroing in on the older vampire's pulse point with the natural grace of their kind. A few minutes passed, maybe four or five, where Kaname simply held the silverette to him. He silently muttered a prayer that Zero's will wouldn't suddenly snap back, before he felt two sharp pricks of pain slice through his body.

Kaname groaned at the sensation. Zero had no idea what a toll this took on him. When a mate bit their other half, the first instinct of the other mate is to take the other's blood. Something he had never even dreamed of doing to Zero before. But now... it was all that went through his head.

As Zero drew back from Kaname's neck, panting slightly from the lack of oxygen, Kaname focused wholly on controlling his own blood lust for the hunter. But it was just so difficult.

There he was.

His angel, his _mate_, was right there in his arms. In his weakest state as he tried to pull himself together after taking so much blood from Kaname after likely starving himself for weeks.

And he looked _gorgeous_.

A light dusting of a rose-red blush covered his nose and cheeks. His lips were parted slightly as small gasps escaped his mouth. His strong body was so weak from the blood rush that the only thing keeping him standing was Kaname's firm hold on his wrists. His cloudy violet eyes were staring up at the older vampire in a heady mix of confusion and lust.

Oh, so very different from the strong, isolated reaper that his eyes had connected with when he had arrived, and oh, so tempting...

Would one taste really be so bad?

* * *

Zero's head was a disaster.

A whirl wind of questions and thoughts colliding together as he hurried to pull himself together and get away from Kuran before things went too far. Why was Kaname giving him blood? Did he have another plan in mind? Did he need Zero to protect Yuki once again? What was going on?

Unfortunately, Zero didn't have the time to contemplate these questions any further before two twin pricks of pain shot through his system and Zero immediately recognized what it was that was causing him the pain.

Panic. Fear. Dread. Anger. Hurt. And on top of it all, an odd feeling of lust that he had never even known he had possessed before.

Half of him was tempted to just stay still and let Kuran do whatever he wanted with him. The older vampire's bite felt so... _right_ and the feeling of being held... it was so soothing that Zero almost forgot the repercussions of what his actions would bring.

The key word of course being _almost_.

Tapping into his newly replenished vampire side just slightly, Zero ripped his hands away from Kaname's grip and quickly searched out Bloody Rose. Grasping the handle of his weapon in his right hand, Zero quickly unloaded a single shot into Kaname's side, mumbling a quick apology as he did so.

As soon as the stunned pureblood fell back onto the grass, Zero was off running, not even noticing the trails of tears that had started to fall from his eyes.

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, I had just a touch of writers block but no worries! That's all cleared up now and you got and extra-long chapter as a reward for the wait! Thanks to all those who reviewed and Favorited and Alerted and a super special thanks to ben4kevin who sent me a very nice PM telling me to hurry my ass up in the nicest fashion possible and is probably the main reason why this chapter got posted when it did and not about a week later!**

**Thanks ben4kevin!**

**On another note, once again be sure to give thanks to SunaT.U, everybody! My wonderful beta for this story!**

**Also, please leave a Review! *Does Puppy Dog Eyes***

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666!**


	5. Last One Standing

Blood pooled in Kaname's hand as he sat collapsed in the grass, his body frozen in pain and his mouth gaping in shock. His emotions were warring with each other as the last ten minutes replayed over in his head.

Zero had just shot him! Kaname couldn't believe it. Sure, the ex-human would always _say_ he would shoot him if Kaname went out of line (Kaname couldn't count the times he had felt the cold tip of Bloody Rose's barrel pressed against his head), but he had never dreamed that the silverette would actually _do_ it!

Even before he had found out about their bond as mates, Kaname had never _ever_ thought that Zero would pull the trigger. He just never saw it happening anytime in the future. There had always been something (_something!_) there to stop him: Yuki, Cross, other students…

Kaname smirked dryly. He guessed now that they had been alone, Zero had seen his chance.

Sighing Kaname lifted a hand to his face, stubbornly ignoring the fine tremors that ran along his skin.

And yet, to think that Zero shooting him wasn't even the most shocking thing...

When Kaname had thought (read: fantasized) about tasting Zero's blood, he had always imagined he would find it to be bittersweet. Most level D blood was, and as all mates were, he would become addicted to the bitter-sweetness that he had expected. But now, after actually tasting Zero... Kaname wasn't sure he would have even needed the natural addictiveness of mates to crave Zero's blood.

Unlike most level D blood, Zero's blood had this kind of – not purity per say, just a kind of— Kaname couldn't place it. Zero's blood was just so... _strange_.

Zero tasted how you would have expected a white rose to taste; a kind of quite innocence that still held an air of danger and mystery to it. It was addicting in its strangeness, in its newness.

No one – be they level D, E, hunter, aristocrat, common vampire, human or even a royal pureblood like himself – tasted like that.

Kaname, of all people, should know. He'd tasted just about every kind of blood there was.

Gingerly, Kaname began to pick himself up off the ground, wincing slightly as he tried to put weight on the side Zero had shot. Of course it hurt, the Bloody Rose gun was a very powerful hunter weapon, but the shot had not been meant to kill, only to stun.

Which, Kaname thought dryly from his place amongst the grass, it had done rather well.

Biting his lip, Kaname began walking back to the Moon Dorms. The need to get to his own personal library and do some research building in his mind as he compiled a list of what he needed to look up.

First of all, he needed to find out more about the hunters in general. All vampires knew the bare minimum: how the society was run, the top hunters alive and the common weapons they used. After that though, the hunter world was completely alien to pretty much everyone.

This, Kaname thought, was slightly ironic. Vampires boasted that they knew everything they needed and yet how many tragedies could have been avoided if they had paid closer attention to the hunters?

Shaking his head free from the stray thoughts, Kaname continued on with his list.

At that very top of the list (just after his research was completed; it wouldn't be wise to try and tackle the next task ignorant) was confronting Zero. A task he both looked forward to and dreaded.

On one hand, he would to get to see his beautiful, intriguing mate again. On the other, he'd be dealing with an emotionally unstable prefect who apparently had no qualms against using his gun.

Yeah, one might say he had a little room to be apprehensive.

But still, he did need to talk to Zero; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. After all, he still hadn't told Zero about this whole mates mess and then there was the question of the silverette's strange, sweet, blood…

Kaname shook his head in aggravation. Even the brief thought of Zero's blood drove his mind into a frenzy. Right now he should be focusing on what he needed to find out before he started his newest confrontation with Zero.

Kaname grimaced, now that he thought of it, most of those things would probably be in the Association's records. Meaning a trip to the Hunter Association's private library.

Kaname shuddered at the thought. When it came to keeping records, the hunters were accurate to a fault. The Library of Records was huge, meaning that he would also have to enlist some help when it came to hunting down the information he was seeking.

Kaname sighed to himself at the amount of work he would be doing in the near future before smiling slightly. If it would further him in his quest to gain Zero's love and trust, he didn't care how horrible the task was. His sliver haired angel was worth it.

Glancing at the sky, Kaname picked up his pace. Judging by the moon, it was only a few more hours to sunrise and Kaname had no doubt that Yuki would be worrying about where he was. The girl seemed to have made it her duty in life to be by his side every minute of the day and night. Meaning that if Kaname didn't go to her before sunrise, she would most certainly come looking for him. The last thing he needed was for her to stumble upon the forest where he and Zero had been.

Sure, shortly after he had left the forest, Kaname had noticed someone had put up a blood neutralizing charm, or more specifically, a _hunter_ blood neutralizing charm. But even that wouldn't help with Yuki on his tail.

See, what that charm did was basically hide the scent of blood in the air from human noses. Typically it was used by hunters who came across a large level E nest and didn't want to chance alerting the humans once blood started flowing. It worked mildly well against vampires too but if Yuki were to follow Kaname's scent directly into the forest, which she no doubt would, there would be no hiding what had happened there.

Kaname smiled slightly. It must have been Zero who put the charm there as a way to keep his hiding place secret. His mate was so clever. _Yeah, too bad you had to go and mess that up for him_, a voice sounding eerily like Takuma whispered through his head. Kaname sighed. Damn his conscience.

Taking a deep breath, Kaname slowly pushed opened the doors of the Moon Dorm and stepped in. Why? Why couldn't his life be simple? Why couldn't he just leave this entire mess behind, grab Zero, and run?

Kaname smirked bitterly and mentally answered himself; because then fate would have no one to laugh at, obviously.

###

* * *

Zero sat on the floor of his dorm room. Books that he really wasn't supposed to have were scattered around him and still he was dressed in his bloody uniform with one huge ass leather bound tome entitled Vampires and Hunters: A History settled in his lap.

Along with his plethora of books, he also had paper, pens and his laptop, which he'd used to successfully hack into the Hunter Association's Record System (or at least the bit of it that had been transferred over to the computer). Why? Because he didn't care if it killed him, he was going to find out what the hell had gotten into Kuran and how the hell he was going to keep Kuran from pulling the skeletons in the Kiryu family's closet out into the open!

Bloody hell! Why couldn't anything ever go right for him?

His life was just one big fuck up after another. Hell, his entire family history was just one big fucking disaster after another!

Zero gently started messaging his temples in a vain attempt to get rid of the headache he felt coming on. Letting out a large sigh and leaning against the side of his bed, he started going over everything he had learned in the last forty-five minutes.

First off, he had learned that there was an extremely large possibility that he was Kuran's m— ugh he couldn't even bring himself to think it in his head. Never mind actually admitting it out in the open, all he knew was that the word started with an m and rhymed with gate. Zero sighed. Yeah, he knew it was juvenile, but it was all he could deal with right now.

But really, it was impossible. First of all, Kaname had Yuki.

Zero's heart gave a painful little lurch as he remembered how Kaname acted with Yuki. How gentle he was, the small smile that was on his face as he had helped her out of the car before they entered the school, how perfect they looked together... and then Zero remembered the blinding rage he had felt; the horrible desire he had to rip perfect little Yuki to pieces.

Zero shook his head violently, trying to clear himself of the thoughts that had invaded his mind. Gods, what was happening to him? Life had just started getting a bit more livable. Why did this have to happen now? It was like slipping to level D all over again!

Zero stood up abruptly, letting out a small hiss of discomfort as his stiff muscles stretched. Gingerly taking off his school jacket and dress shirt, Zero walked over the mirror in his on-suite bathroom and looked at the bite wound Kuran had left him.

Unlike Zero's bite, Kaname's was much cleaner. Save the two perfectly spaced holes in his neck from the older vampire's fangs there was virtually no damage, as well as a lack of blood thanks to the mild healing agent in the pureblood's saliva.

A pureblood's bite was very different from a level D's. It was understandable since, unlike with a level D, people or vampires bitten by a pureblood (or anything above a D for that matter) were meant to live.

A Level D, on the other hand, was primarily a weapon, and thus their bites were meant to dole out the most damage possible, thus insuring death in most cases.

Sighing tiredly, Zero ran a hand through his silver bangs, staring back at his reflection with disgust in his eyes. The comparison between his and Kaname's bites really did drive home just how much more of an animal he was compared to the pureblood.

Biting down on his lip, Zero proceeded to strip himself of the rest of his bloodied clothing before flicking on the shower.

Zero stood there for roughly fifteen minutes just letting the hot water rush over his skin and relax his muscles before his mind started going over the problems he had to deal with.

First of all was finding some way to keep Kaname from doing any research on his family. Which, Zero thought, would be pretty simple. He would just have to go to the Library of Records and ask for them to put a seal on all the important documents and books concerning his family, and Zero, now being the top hunter in the Association as well as being the only surviving Kiryu left, they couldn't say no to.

Zero frowned, but even if he did seal away his family records he doubted it would discourage Kaname much. But then again, he guessed he would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

Stepping out of the shower, Zero thought of the much bigger problem he was facing. If Zero truly was Kaname's... you know, then what would happen to both Yuki and himself?

Zero had no doubts that if Kaname truly did want Zero that way then there would be very little anyone could do to keep Kaname away, not that Zero wouldn't try of course. Zero didn't care what Kaname did, there was no way in hell he was ever going to be with that bastard. Even if there was a small piece of him that hurt every time he envisioned a world without Kaname...

Zero mentally slapped himself. What the hell was going on with him?

Quickly pulling on a white T-shirt with a pair of gray pajama bottoms, Zero settled into his bed. Tugging open his nightstand drawer, the silverette pulled out a rather large bottle of heavy dose Tylenol and popped a fair amount in his mouth before pulling the covers over his head. Fortunately, between the drugs and blood he'd taken and lost, his body was too exhausted to fight off the sleep he so desperately needed.

* * *

Well, here it is! Very sorry for the horribly long wait on this thing but I just couldn't get the right wording for it for a while there. But anyway, all is now well and I hope you like this chapter!

Please Review, and don't forget to give thanks to my wonderful beta, SunaT.U!

Sincerely,

BlackRoseGirl666


	6. How to Find a Rose

Zero had woken groggily from sleep that afternoon, having decided earlier that day when his alarm clock had woken him at six for the first time in months that school wasn't that important in the face of getting a longer period of quiet, undisturbed rest.

So, in the face of said clock's annoying ringing, Zero had just rolled over and gone back to bed, having left the broken pieces of his alarm clock where they lay on the other side of the room after hurling it at the wall in a small fit of rage when he couldn't shut the stupid thing off and one hell of a dent in the wall.

But now, as much as he hated the idea of it, he had Prefect Duties. Which meant that he would most likely be seeing Kaname again. Kaname, who he had been avoiding since that little episode in the forest where Zero had shot the pureblood, among other things…

Zero immediately cringed after that little memory decided to rise up in his mind along with waves of guilt, sadness, and worry that he would have never thought himself able to possess for the annoying pureblood.

Or at least, that he'd never thought himself capable to possessing before—

Zero mentally slapped himself, thus destroying any other annoying Kuran-related thoughts or feeling before they had a chance to surface.

Why, oh why, out of all the fucking vampires in the goddamn world did he have to be bound to _Kuran_?

Zero sighed, he knew why. And believe it or not the reason was not solely based on Fate hating him even though he knew that had to have something to do with it. After all, the Wicked Bitch had loved to toy with both their houses ever so much in the past, even if so few could remember the webs She'd spun.

Zero smirked as he got up from bed, grabbing his uniform and other necessities to take a shower as he went. If Kuran thought that _his_ family had a twisted and bloodied history, then he was going to be in for quite a shock once he started going through the Kiryu family's numerous skeletons that all the different generations had locked away in the proverbial closet.

Not that he was going to make it easy on Kuran or his cronies, Zero thought as he began washing the shampoo out of his silver hair some minutes later. He had worked too hard at hiding it all for him to give it up that easily. He'd have to make a call to the Hunter Library, get some things, some hard copies his family wouldn't dare get rid of lest they forgot their contents, sealed off and locked away. He'd have to check the wards on certain things, visit some people, maybe. Zero signed. He'd need a list by the end of this.

Smiling slightly, Zero finished dressing and grabbed his iPod. He turned it quickly to a playlist of more solemn and calm songs that he had designed specifically to help keep his temper under control when dealing with pain-in-the-ass vampires and even more annoying fangirls. The iPod was also placed on under a silencer spell to help mute the fangirls shrieks some, saving his ears from their ridiculousness.

Finding himself satisfied by the music that had begun to play, Zero quickly shrugged on his jacket and wrapped his tie around his neck (he figured he could tie it later, not that he had any real intention to) before quickly moving out the door and locking it as he went.

And all the while, thoughts of a wine-eyed pureblood and his wonderful touches that he really shouldn't have enjoyed replayed throughout his mind...

* * *

Aidou let out a long-suffering sigh as he came to the end of yet another row of ten-foot-high shelves. Dear Gods, he'd thought vampires were fanatics when it came to record keeping but even they had absolutely _nothing_ on the hunters!

He had just finished level M of the Hunter Library. Thus far, the only things he had to show for his hours of effort were the official reports on the Shizuka Incident, half of a family tree (mind you, everyone on the tree was either blacked-out or dead, save for Zero) and a bunch of registration forms hunters apparently had to fill out when they became official.

A.K.A, he had next to nothing and had wasted oh, about four or five hours skimming through everything that could possibly have anything to do with the Kiryus.

Oh, Kaname was going to be mad... not that Aidou really knew _why_ Kaname was so intent on learning about the Kiryu family. He knew it probably had something to do with Cross Academy's resident level D, but then again, why would Kaname need to know anything about him? Ugh, the whole thing just made no sense to the genius, which just made him even more annoyed than usual.

Aidou looked around the large, book-filled area that surrounded him, feeling horribly cornered by the oak shelves that stood imposingly on his every side, ornate and taunting. Perhaps Kaname's orders about finding stuff on the Kiryus weren't really orders, just a cleverly hidden punishment…

Sighing, Aidou readjusted the (rather thin) folder he had tucked under his arm and headed for the elevators. Yup, that's right, _elevators_.

When Aidou had first seen them, he hadn't believed that the Hunter Library was big enough to need elevators. Oh, how wrong he had been.

Apparently, each letter in the alphabet had its own _floor_ in this place. Each floor housed anywhere from ten to what seemed like one-freakin'-_billion_ ten-foot-tall shelves all stuffed to the brim with different forms of physicalized information, ranging from suspiciously ancient-looking scrolls to modern manila file folders, all containing information on subjects that started with the letter of the level it was on.

All of it was contained on one physical floor of the hunter HQ, via some kind of magic he couldn't possibly hope to understand, if the librarian he'd asked had been truthful. Honestly, between the old guy's downright caustic looks and the way his fingers kept twitching as if for a gun, Aidou hadn't bothered prodding him further.

Aidou (figuring that, by the venomous looks that the rest of the librarians on duty were also giving him, that the aides would more likely shoot him than, you know, _aide_ him) had decided that instead of asking for help, he should just scan the floors one by one.

In five hours he had just finished skimming level M.

Again, he was soooo doomed.

Sighing again, Aidou reached for the elevator button only to pause when he heard someone call out to him.

"Excuse me sir, but can I help you?" It was an elderly lady, her skin oddly tan and deeply wrinkled with kind blue eyes. She couldn't have stood more than 4'8 and wore her silver hair in a single long braid to the middle of her back. Clad in semi-standard old lady clothes (a long white skirt with a yellow cardigan over a teal blouse) she looked more like she should be serving cookies to a whole mess of grandkids than working amongst the miles of book cases like the prefect-esque band around her arm said she did.

Despite her age though, she quickly caught up to him and gave him a warm smile as she drew closer.

"I'm Satunami Aio. I'm one of the people who runs the Hunter Association Library and I've been watching you running around here for quite some time, Mr. Vampire. I figured you could use some help finding what you're looking for," she said in her lady-like voice warm as she offer him a nod in welcome.

Aidou didn't quite know what to make of her. He had seen the different library attendants skulking around watching and glaring at him, but when he had originally moved to ask for help, he'd been instantly like scum. It was not an experience he'd hoped to repeat.

After all, let him assure you there was little that made you feel more affronted than having a score of old people stick their noses up at you.

While Aidou tried to figure out just what he'd done to garner this particular old lady's attention and if it was some kind of trick, the lady simply drew herself to her full, miniscule height and smiled again.

"I guess I'd be fairly apprehensive in your spot too," the old woman said with a little shrug. "This place isn't usually very nice to vampires but you have to understand, barley anyone here has seen the good side to your kind. I guess in a way I was lucky," she said smiling nicely.

Oh yeah, Aidou thought, this woman was definitely the milk-and-cookies type of lady. But still, wasn't this lady a hunter? Like an old, retired one or something? He couldn't imagine that line of work brought about many opportunities for friendly encounters with his kind.

The woman just smiled at him in that kind, 'don't-worry-dear-I'll-explain' sort of way. Aidou's own grandmother usually shirked such looks in exchange for something more akin to a 'how-did-I-get-such-an-idiot-for-a-grandson?' type of thing.

"You see dear, I'm not actually a hunter, past or present." The lady, Mrs. (or at least he assumed) Satunami said, the light in her eyes letting him know she'd seen his shock and enjoyed watching it.

"I married a Level D years ago, just after he was turned and well, back then they hadn't really perfected the mind wiping spells they use on us regular people nowadays so they set me up working here." She gave him a little shrug, a little 'what-can-you-do?' signal that completely mismatched the sadness in her blue eyes.

For a second, Aidou just kind of felt like crap for making her tell him something that obviously hurt her, for being so suspicious. But whatever, he had a mission to do. Sighing, Aidou gave her a semi-sympathetic smile and told her why he'd been wandering the library like an idiot for the last half of the night.

"I'm looking for anything to do with the Kiryu family," Aidou said, trying to remember what Kaname had specifically asked him to find. "As well as a kind of history or something on hunters and a book on their spells or something, if you could," Aidou said, a small, tired, half-smirk covering his face. He really hoped that this lady could help him. She was his last hope, as pathetic as it sounded.

Her face turned thoughtful for a second before she looked back up at him.

"You're going to need to be a little more specific than that, Mr. Vampire," Mrs. Satunami said, looking quizzical. "Do you know what time frame you're looking at? The Kiryus are a very, very old family, dating all the way back to before the Hunter Association was even formed! And the history book, I don't know if we have one that tells _everything_…"

As the woman popped questions at him, she slipped a pair of thin, wire-framed glasses out of the pocket of her cardigan and slipped them on her face before grabbing Aidou's hand and pulling him off into the elevator.

Hitting a button labeled with the letters CL, the elevator rocketed them up until they were on the floor just below the main receptions area.

Stepping out to find that they were in a rather white hallway, Mrs. Satunami pulled Aidou along until they entered a large room with crimson carpet and beige walls. It was filled with nothing but rows and rows of computers and chairs.

The woman moved quickly over to the nearest computer and began typing at an impressive speed, pulling up screens and entering things in before using the mouse to click a box on the screen. Roughly two seconds later, thousands of different files flew up on the screen.

Aidou gaped, weren't old people supposed to suck with computers?

The old lady turned her head back to Aidou, a wicked smirk on her face as she patted the seat beside her.

"Now, Mr. Vampire," She said before clicking on the first file. "This is where things begin to get interesting."

* * *

Kaname paced back and forth in his room, quietly cursing reality in his head. Things were _so_ not going to plan.

For the entire day Kaname hadn't been able to spot Zero once whilst had Yuki refused to leave him alone, thus making it unintentionally (he hoped) impossible for him to even try and track down his angel. Headmaster Cross refused to shut up about the wedding (which Kaname had no intention of going to), and he believed Takuma and Shiki where beginning to catch on to him.

Kaname let out a breath. Things were really starting to become complicated lately. He had sent Aidou to the hunter base-of-operations to see what he could dig up, plans and plots stirring in his brain... the pureblood closed his eyes tiredly. Maybe it wasn't too late to go back to the grab-Zero-and-run plan...

"Kaname-love! I'm going out with the girls to go shopping for the wedding! Love you!" Kaname sighed, feeling tremendously bad for asking (read: ordering) Rima and Ruka to take Yuki shopping. He knew neither girl could stand Yuki's over-bubbly-ness for more than an hour without headaches, but he had no other choice.

He desperately needed time to come up with a plan to see Zero again without the silverette shooting him (again) and he just couldn't scheme properly with Yuki cooing over his shoulder!

Those thoughts in mind, Kaname answered back quickly and before he knew it, the door to the Moon Dorms snapped shut and all was quiet again.

Sighing, Kaname leaned back in his expensive leather chair and closed his eyes. He was pretty sure he had said something along the lines of 'alright dear, see you later' but he couldn't be sure. Visions of silver hair, pale skin, and sharp, violet eyes were already running through his head along with the memories of what Zero's blood tasted like.

Seeing as no plans decided to throw themselves at him, he decided that the best thing to do was wing it and hope for the best. (So what if he was like, 10,000 years old? Maturity didn't count when it came to Zero, dammit!)

Smiling, Kaname quickly straightened his slightly ruffled appearance (dealing with Yuki's moods could ruffle anyone, he'd learned) before he walked over to his door and began to make his way to were the blood bond was telling him Zero was.

Only to run into Shiki and Takuma, both with arms crossed and both with smirks firmly on their faces.

Kaname sighed; oh this was _just not his day!_

* * *

Yuki bit her lip in contemplation as she stared at the wedding dress the consultant had pulled out of the store room for her to try.

Sure, it was pretty alright. It had long, lacy sleeves that would just reach her finger tips and a long, flowing train that would trail behind her. A pretty, sweetheart neckline would show off her delicate throat and a light pink sash would go around the space just under her bust before ending in a bow, high on her would-be-mostly-bare back, but…

Well, Yuki just wasn't sure if it would suit her. She was a princess, wasn't she? And even if she wasn't she was going to be marrying a prince in the next week or two, making her a princess by default even if it hadn't been her birthright. That meant that only the best would do her justice, correct?

Yuki certainly thought so.

Smiling in what she thought was a sweet manner, Yuki turned to Rima and Ruka. Sure, they weren't the _best_ opinions she could find. Neither was of royal blood and she thought Ruka was rather full of herself and that Rima was a little too emotionless and strange to be completely right in the head, but they were the best she could do on such short notice.

Tilting her head to the side slightly in an attempt to show off her innocent attractiveness, Yuki decided that she might as well ask their opinion, no matter how little it truly mattered.

"Ruka, Rima what do you think of this one? Should I try it on or would it just be a waste of time?" Yuki asked, adding a small giggle between her questions in an attempt to show off her adorable laugh.

* * *

Ruka internally groaned as Yuki waited for their response. It wasn't so much that Ruka didn't like the dress, or the fact that it had been three hours since they had entered this store (never mind the other two they had been to where Yuki hadn't tried a single thing on). No, Ruka understood the importance of finding the perfect dress. She herself hoped that one day she would have the privilege of dragging a group of people all around town in an effort to find her ideal wedding gown.

The issue was that Yuki insisted on adding an extra heap of innocence and fake-happiness onto everything she said or did! And it was driving the typically short tempered girl _crazy_ that she couldn't call the little pain in the ass on it!

Sighing in a way that Yuki must have mistaken for awe when indeed it was out of pure confusion at how her wonderful Kaname-sama could have this girl for a mate, Ruka gave her what she hoped looked more like an approving smile and less like a grimace.

Ruka was mildly disgusted when Yuki broke out into a large, annoying grin (having bought Ruka's cover) and turned her attention to Rima. Said ginger-haired girl had apparently decided to just copy Ruka and proceeded to smile in a way that she obviously hoped would convince the young pureblood that she had the best dress possible. Hopefully then the spoiled princess would actually buy the damned thing and they could all go home.

Smiling, if possible, even brighter, Yuki let out a high pitched squeal that left the other two vampires (and several humans who were also within earshot) to wonder if it would be considered rude to cover their ears and run.

Smile still firmly in place, Yuki quickly called over the consultant that had been helping them throughout their time at the store and told her to go set up a changing room. In response, the assistant seemed to let out a sigh of relief before casting the two vampire women a sympathetic glance and running off to go set up a changing room and hopefully complete the sale before the young pureblood changed her mind and decided to try something else on.

Roughly an hour later Yuki stepped out from behind the changing room door. A bright, happy smile accented her small heart-shaped face as she practically skipped over to the mirror. Not giving the two vampires in front of her a second glance, she looked herself over and squealed again, liking very much what she saw.

The smooth, silky fabric hung in the most complementing way possible for Yuki's almost curve-less shape, giving her the illusion of having round hips and a perky chest. The tight corset of the dress's bodice gave her small bust even more help with making it appear like she had more than she did while the sash helped to accentuate her tiny waist.

Glitter and tiny gemstones had been added to just about every possible inch of the gown, making Yuki sparkle every time she moved. The skirt of the dress was probably about four times as big as it had been originally, giving her a very cupcake-like look.

The sleeves, which Ruka had thought was one of the highlights of the dress, giving it a very modern princess look, were gone. This alteration left Yuki's pale arms, which had only thinned out more after she'd quit practicing her battle skills, bare.

Grinning like a spoiled child that had just received her newest toy, Yuki turned to the two vampiresses, awaiting them to begin singing her praises. Which, much to her delight and their silent disgust, they began to do only moments later.

"Oh my, Yuki-sama! Don't you look lovely! Surely Kaname-sama will only fall deeper in love with you when he sees you in such a beautiful dress!" Ruka said, almost chocking on how utterly crap that was.

At best, Yuki would only pass for a catalog bride and maybe a stand in one at that, Ruka thought venomously. She prayed to the spirits above that her Kaname-sama had just made a mistake in the identity of his mate and that his real to-be-bonded was someone... well, someone else! Hell, Ruka would settle for _Kiryu_ at this point!

_At least he's real_, Ruka thought moodily to herself. _There's no way in hell someone can fake a temper like that_.

Plus he wasn't really all that bad looking once you took the time to look past the permanent scowl that stuck to his porcelain face. He was competent, too. Powerful. Yuki was in a way, Ruka guessed, she was a pureblood after all, but the princess had never worked for it like Kiryu had and besides; Kiryu had killed Rido Kuran.

That alone, in Ruka and many others' books, made him worth more than Yuki in every case, despite her blood status.

There were also the fights between her Kaname-sama and Zero to consider, as well. Fights that could have _easily_ just been caused by denial of the bond and restrained sexual tension…

Ruka shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts that had attacked her brain. How could she even think like that?

Now, it wasn't like she was against same sex couples, they were upon the most common kind of relationship or marriage seen in the vampire community; though, only a pair of mates could have a child. It was just it was nearly treason to insinuate that a pair of mates didn't love each other!

Still though, something in her screamed that Kaname and Zero would make a better couple than Kaname and Yuki ever could. Call it woman's intuition, but if things changed the way she thought they might, Ruka certainly wasn't going to be surprised.

* * *

**Hey all, I am so incredibly sorry about the horrible wait on this chapter as well as any ****spelling gimps and I am also happy to tell you that I already have the first few lines of chapter seven written! Special thanks to ben4kevin who sent me two PM's telling me to hurry my ass up (very nicely, mind you) as well as came up with a possible future scenario that might happen in the story! (I still can't believe anyone actually took the time to try and predict what might happen!) Anyway thanks for reading and for hopefully reviewing!**

**Also, make sure to give your love to SunaT.U, beta extraordinaire! **

**Please Review! I type faster if I have your encouragement!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	7. More Than What is Seen

Aidou stared in shock as every freaking file the old lady tried to pull up appeared with a bright red sign over it the access box; reading in huge, capitalized, underlined letters: 'SEALED'.

There wasn't even a freaking password they could hack! All the bloody thing was missing was a padlock and a big sign that read: 'Aidou, I will now doom you to fail your Kaname-sama and be disgraced for all eternity! Mwahahaha!'

...

Okay, so maybe he was being a _little_ overdramatic, but seriously! It was just plain annoying how _every freaking piece of information on the whole bloody Kiryu family_ was either blocked or missing! It was like someone had known he was going to be coming here in search of information and locked everything—

Wait a second…

_Could_ someone have known?

_But who would have that kind of authority?_ Aidou thought pensively. If the hunter system was anything like the vampire one then only a council member or the head of the clan whose information it was could seal something – Aidou's eyes went wide. The only Kiryu left was Kiryu (yeah, don't get on his case about that)! That bastard had blocked him!

Though, Aidou thought, rubbing his aching head as the small woman before him cursed once again, using words that he hadn't thought she would know in a quite a few downright interesting combinations. Now that he knew it was Kiryu who had locked all the information on the Kiryu family (because why would a council member give a fuck? Did the hunters even have a council or something like it?) he _did_ have to wonder why.

Really, what reason would someone with such an 'I-don't-give-a-fuck' attitude care about the privacy of a bunch of dead people and leave information like the Shizuka Incident, which actually had something to do with him, out in the open? Did Kaname-sama know Zero had sealed all those documents? Just what the hell kind of Cat-and-Mouse game was going on between those two? Didn't Kaname have more important things to do than worry about some long-dead geezers in the level D's family tree? Aidou just didn't get it anymore. And that _really_ pissed the genius off.

"Why, this is most annoying..." Turning his attention to the old women (instead of his internal freak-out) Aidou couldn't help but smile. If anything, the lady was determined.

For the last hour she had been attempting to hack some file or another, only to be thrown out back to the main page. In that time, Aidou had learned so many new curses and swears that he couldn't wait for Ruka to start raging on him again so he could show them off!

Smiling at the happy thought of Ruka staring at him in shock as he delivered her a verbal smack down from Hell, Aidou barely heard the old women release another round of swears as the computer completely shut her out once again. Above them, the lights flickered slightly before stabilizing as the HQ's firewalls fought again the old woman's hacks.

Glaring, Mrs. Satunami turned her attention back to him. Her glare softened to a look of intense determination as she stood up, pushed her chair in, and motioned for him to get up; which he did in seconds as to not anger the only person in the whole bloody library that had offered to help him.

"You know Mr. Vampire, you have picked one hell of a guarded subject and I can't help but wonder why. Granted, the Kiryus are an interesting clan to learn about and they do play an important part in both the politics of both the vampire and the hunter worlds, but I just can't wrap my old mind around why a young vampire like yourself would be interested in such an old topic, never mind such a hunter-oriented topic." The woman said, a clear look of interest on her face as she made her way to the elevator, pressing the 'K' button once both she and Aidou were inside.

Aidou didn't really need to think about answering the her question. Like she would have anyone to tell? Besides, it wasn't like this was some kind of top secret mission or something. Kaname would have specified if he was meant to keep quiet about it, right? So with a clean conscience, Aidou gave her his explanation.

"I've been sent by Lord Kuran-sama to look up some information on both the Kiryus and to get a basic book of hunter protocol and stuff like that. Pretty typical really, I just don't really know why he's so obsessed with it," Aidou said casually, almost missing the sharp intake of breath the old woman did when he had mentioned Kaname-sama.

"Excuse me, but is something wrong, Mrs. Satunami? You seemed a little short of breath for a second there," Aidou said, trying his best to sound natural and friendly and not so worried that either the old lady knew something important about Kaname-sama and Kiryu or that she was about to have a heart attack and thus, he would lose his only guide. Selfish he knew, but at least it was truthful!

Mrs. Satunami just turned to him and smiled, not one of those reassuring, 'don't-worry-about-a-thing-dearie' kind of smiles he would have expected from her, but one of those 'this-is-about-to-get-interesting' smiles Kaname-sama got from time to time when he was plotting something.

"It's nothing too bad, Mr. Vampire. I just think you're going to be quite surprised by where we're heading to hunt down our information." And with that, the elevator doors opened with a pleasant 'ping' and Mrs. Satunami turned and left. She headed to an isle at the far end that Aidou had already searched through, the K19 (V) section.

Aidou had figured out early on in his hunt for Kiryu information that while each level of the Hunter Library had a letter, each shelve also had a letter. As in if they were going to categories information on salmon (who the hell knows why), the information would go on the F level for fish but it would only go on the S shelve, for salmon.

But in this case, Mrs. Satunami was heading to the nineteenth isle of the K level to do with something that started with a 'V', meaning that they were probably going to be looking at a Kiryu file that had something to do with vampires (or something else that started with a V), or at least that's what Aidou guessed.

Oh boy, how wrong he was.

"Mr. Vampire, do you think you could hand me that stepladder? What we're looking for is on the very top shelve," Ms. Satunami said, smiling a kind-old-lady smile as Aidou passed her the ladder, which she immediately started climbing.

She stood up there for about ten or so minutes before she started pulling books down and handing them to Aidou.

Glancing down at the first book, Aidou couldn't help but wonder. First of all, how did the hunters get their hands on a vampire book and second of all, what the hell would anything to do with the Kiryus even be doing in a vampire book as old as the one in his hands? From the leather-bound cover and old-fashioned lock on the front, Aidou could tell that the thing had to be written sometime during the Monarchy _at_ _least_!

Looking down at the other books Aidou had started stacking on the ground due to not wanting to carry them all, Aidou noticed that _all_ the books were either leather or canvas-bound. Some of them so old that the covers had actually started falling off despite the restorative magics he could feel lying heavy in the air.

But the strangest thing, Aidou thought, was that none of the books beside him had come from the Kiryu section of the shelve. Aidou knew that simply because he had already looked there and he hadn't seen _any_ of these...

Picking up one of the newer, fabric-covered books Aidou took a look at the title. It was a diary by someone called Akeno – Aidou stared in shock. The last name was not Kiryu, but _Kuran!_

Aidou eyes widened as he scanned over the rest of the books present. They all had something to do with the Kurans! What the hell? Since when would a Kuran have something to do with a bunch of human hunters?

"Er, Mrs. Satunami, why do all these books have something to do with the Kurans?" Aidou asked. He willed the shakiness out of his voice as he turned his head towards the old lady, who was now looking down at him with an eyebrow raised. It was a motion that made him swallow as it successfully killed his hypothesis that perhaps she'd merely led him to the wrong isle.

"You mean no one's told you anything? I would have thought that surely your Kuran-sama would have mentioned this to you, but..." Ms. Satunami stopped for a moment, looking like she was considering something before her face lit up with an angry kind of sadness.

"Unless of course the Kuran heir had no idea of this himself – which he wouldn't, I'd bet – what with the way his parents met their end when he was so young and then all that fuss with the young princess and his uncle! I bet that bloody council didn't tell him anything! And we all know that no vampire comes here unless it's absolutely necessary. Well, damn it all! I always knew those old fools were up to no good!"

And with that, Mrs. Satunami turned back to the shelf and threw several more books to Aidou, who was still a little stunned from the old woman's outburst. She then climbed down the ladder with grace he didn't expect her to have before heading back to the elevator, and tapping her foot impatiently when she noticed Aidou was still standing by the shelves.

"Well, hurry up! I still have to get you that history book, and maybe one on spells and hunter terms would be a good idea as well. I –" Aidou lost track of the old woman's murmurs as Mrs. Satunami continued to rattle off tittles Aidou had never heard of.

Sighing as he caught the woman's mention that she might as well start packing the books into boxes to make travel easier, Aidou reluctantly trucked after her; his arms piled high with the books he'd collected from the floor before running after her.

Oh Gods, the genius moaned mentally as the elevator stopped at another floor. Just what exactly _had_ Kaname gotten him into now?

* * *

Zero groaned as he fell onto the bed, looking despairingly at the clock which told him insistently that it was only three in the morning even though Zero was sure it was later. How could his life have gotten so... _bad_?

It was if it wasn't enough that his future was lost to the monster in his mind, his only salvation too ridiculous to even contemplate; as though losing all but a few people important to him wasn't _enough_. As if playing pawn to Kuran, of all people, wasn't e-bloody-fucking-nough. But now he also had to endure all this new crap? Zero wasn't sure he could take much more.

Yuki had actually glared at him today. Where before he'd been able to play off her lack of interaction or communication as simply being too busy with pureblood life, whereas before he'd been able to at least _pretend_ her words during the Rido attack had been real… now he didn't even have those scattered hopes to fall back on.

It wasn't even that she didn't hold feelings for him. He'd given up on winning Yuki's heart _long_ ago. It was just that, despite his words, he'd been hoping she'd still think of him as a friend. That she would have proven his instincts wrong.

Oh, how foolish. His ancestors must be rolling in their graves at his naiveté.

She had looked at him as though he was the scum of the Earth, her head tipped back at an angle of perfect causality and eyes icily caustic. Her voice, once so sunny, a bright spot in the angst of his life, had snarled "D" at him as she passed, her own personal entourage following her lead even as Kaname's had stuttered a step in disbelief.

He, personally, had only been vaguely grateful he hadn't approached her first through the fog of his numbed shock.

Somehow he'd managed to match her derision with a bloodcurdling glare, which, if nothing else, had at least shown the other hunter kids he wasn't cowed by her shit.

During this the Day Class students around him, especially those who were in on Cross Academy's secret after the Rido Incident, had gone silent in their preening of the Night Class, just as shocked as he had been. Others had followed their lead, hushing up until the entire crowd had gone quiet. Yuki and Co. hadn't even seemed to notice.

And that hadn't even been the worst of it, nor the fact that it had taken him nearly twice as long to get the Day Class to get moving as it usually did, due to the new shock in the social hierarchy. The thing he really couldn't stand was the _looks_. The ones that said how sorry they were for him, the ones that stared at him in awe for how he had dealt with her insult, and – the worst of the worst – the ones that tried to act like they fucking _understood_.

They didn't. Never would, or should. _How the fuck could they?_

The ironic thing, Zero thought bitterly, was that out of all the reactions he'd seen in that brief half-hour, it had been Kuran's fucking vampire nobles' reactions he'd appreciated the most. Sympathy behind cool masks; disbelief, resignation, and anger hidden in their neutral gazes; a slight misstep that showed they had most definitely _not been informed of this_. They were reactions, condolences, Zero's hunter-trained mind could grapple with; things he could actually rationalize and appreciate.

Zero shut his eyes and groaned. All of that, plus his near-migraine-like headache did not make for a happy Zero. Gods, it was just getting to be too much.

There was also, Zero's mind remembered, the matter of Cross and that stupid, fucking wedding the old bastard refused to shut up about!

Fuck, every time Zero saw him the ash-blond would start spouting all this _crap_ about how wonderful it was going to be, and about how beautiful a couple Kaname and, and – _Yuki_ – would be together. How much they _loved_ each other—

Zero slammed his fist into his bed.

Fuck! Why did it hurt so much? Why couldn't he just get over it? So what if, for that instant in Kana – _Kuran's_ – arms, the hurting had stopped? So what if Zero had, for the first time in so, so long, wanted something? Wanted – _wanted_ _Kuran_.

So what if he'd felt, in that one, split second moment, equally wanted in return?

Zero tried to will down a bitter smile and flopped over to lie flat on his back, arms thrown wide. Maybe that was the reason Kaname wasn't his. It wasn't enough to want something so badly you had to turn it into hate just to get by. Maybe you had to be able to be weak to those feelings. To submit yourself to pain every time you caught the cause's eye. Maybe _then_ they would notice that you were dying inside and finally give a crap.

Maybe you had to harbor that appallingly pointless love bluntly for everyone to see – for everyone to abuse and laugh at – and then _maybe_ you'd be loved back.

Zero closed his eyes, barely noticing the tears that were gathering at the corners of his eyes and silently making their way down his cheeks.

But he just _couldn't_. He wanted to – _desperately_, he wanted to. No one was more tired of being cold and strong than Zero was. It was just that he couldn't. It wasn't how he'd been raised.

More tears rolled down Zero's cheeks as he buried his face in his pillow. It was ridiculous how people saw vampire hunter society, Zero thought dismally, purely ridiculous.

The vampires regarded them as naïve idiots who could never understand the complexities and pressure of growing up a 'creature of the night'. Zero wanted to laugh right in their faces. Yeah, sure the politics and shit were terrifying and the 'I must be a brown-nosing leech to get anywhere in life' mentality drilled into their kids must get annoying. But try that plus knowing that from day one you were expected to commit the act of stopping another once-upon-a-time human's heart and not cry about it.

They were killers, born and raised, and the only difference was that 'they got the bad ones'.

Yeah, as the widely-accepted motives behind the Shizuka Incident showed, that wasn't always the case.

Another thing that had always annoyed Zero was that, up until recently, no one had ever really thought that anyone in the Hunter Association had a secondary agenda. Sure, they all figured the vampires were a pack of lying, turn-table scumbags, and mostly Zero would agree. But that didn't mean it wasn't the same for the people who hunted them.

Even Zero's own sainted parents were guilty of it; a fact he'd known but never really recognized until he'd stumbled across their plans himself.

See, originally the Kiryu family had been the head of the whole Hunter Association, with nothing being done without their direct consent. Eventually though their numbers had dwindled and they had fallen from political grace, even though their physical and mental battle prowess had never decreased.

His parents had been looking to bring the Kiryu family back up their former status by marrying off their at-the-time unborn son to the President's niece, thus ensuring that a Kiryu would wind up as President when the current one passed on and that the President's heir would the strongest in their line yet. Unfortunately, the fact that his mother had given birth to twins had thrown a wrench in their plans.

In a human, or even vampiric situation, the birth of twins wouldn't have affected much of anything. The oldest would have been the one to be married off and on would roll life. However, seeing as this was a vampire _hunter_ family (and one with a particular amount of nasty, secretive baggage), twins effectively shot everything to shit.

Zero smirked vindictively into his pillow. Ichiru had always wanted to prove himself able of foiling some bad guy's plans when they were younger. Zero bet his little brother had never thought that he'd already done that the moment he'd been born.

There was a reason hunter twins ate each other you know, and not just because of some mystic curse or some shit. Really it just came down to supernatural science, if you will.

See, what gave a hunter their powers was commonly referred to as spiritual energy. Depending on your ancestors, you either had a very high or very low amount. But if you were a hunter, you had it and you needed it to survive. Spiritual energy was notoriously hard to split, so typically the more developed, stronger twin would gain more, and thus cutting the other twin's developing powers off and basically starving them. Those starved powers would then turn on the body and eventually, kill the baby.

Due to their 'nasty, secretive baggage' – as Zero liked to put it – Kiryus needed more spiritual energy than the typical hunter. This was due to their own private family curse, if you will. It was also what had led his parents to plan something so horrific that it would eventually lead their sons to lending a hand in their own parents' deaths.

Zero silently got to his feet, emotion-driven pulses of energy sending him to pace the length of his room in an effort to drive down the memories scratching at the surface of his mind. Somewhere along the road, things had gotten so messed up that it didn't even bare talking about anymore, let alone crying over.

It didn't matter that people only knew half (if that) of the story. It didn't matter that everyone believed that Ichiru had betrayed their family. All that mattered was that it was _over_.

His parents were safely tucked away in their graves, remembered as heroes by all but for a select, quiet few. His brother was dead, and hopefully, at peace alongside Shizuka, who honestly, might have been the most screwed over out of all parties involved. And most importantly, for once everything was quiet.

And Zero was once again alone, but that was a small price in comparison, he thought, for nothing too world-endingly bad to happen.

After all, he was used of being the strong one.

It was the least he could do really, all things considered.

Zero bit down on his lip, tasting blood in his mouth as he tried to will away the aching loneness that had started to build up in his heart. Compared to this, he almost preferred the strange apathy he'd felt before —

And that's when he felt it.

Turning sharply Zero cast a searching glance at the window. The ivy that climbed along the white-painted ledge was slightly squished and he sensed a strong presence coming from the area. Someone was there, or at least, they had been, and Zero had a pretty good idea of who it was.

Zero felt his entire body still, his heart picking up a panicked pace as a figure behind him rested a gentle hand on his hip. The other one trailed softly up his side, sending small tremors racing through his body before coming across his chest to rest on his shoulder. The figure stepped forward after that, holding Zero all the closer as he placed a searing kiss on the nape of his neck.

"Zero..." the figure whispered; a low, restrained sound just loud enough for Zero to hear.

The silverette shuddered pleasantly and, highly against his will, sunk into his captor's embrace. It just felt right and Zero was too tired to battle the temptation anymore. Reluctantly, Zero felt his head fall back to rest against the figure's chest, barely registering the small moan that left his lips as trail of butterfly kisses made their way up his throat, ending at his rapidly beating pulse. A reward for his compliance, his cynical mind whispered, only to be hushed by his emotions.

Dragging his eyes open, Zero looked up at the figure holding him, his name leaving his lips in an airy breath.

"Kaname..."

"Zero," one Kaname Kuran whispered seductively in his ear. Zero bit down on his lip and made himself straighten.

"What are you doing here, Kuran?" Zero asked, trying to put venom into his voice but it came out sounding more tired than anything else.

He heard the amused smirk in Kaname's voice rather than saw it. "How did I go from Kaname to Kuran so fast?" he asked impishly, wrapping his arms ever tighter around the emotionally drained prefect.

Zero tensed in his embrace, both his hunter senses and his sense of self-preservation going off the charts. There was no way he was going to be able to break out of Kuran's hold this time. Not unless he touched on his vampire side, something he was hesitant to do. And besides, Kaname would expect it from him this time.

Plus he was just _so_ tired. And really, Kuran wouldn't be able to do anything to horrible here, right? Not with normal humans so close by…

"What are you playing at, Ku— Ahh!" Zero couldn't stifle the cry that rose in his throat when the older vampire started undoing the buttons of his dress shirt.

The moment Zero had gotten into his might-as-well-be-apartment he had immediately gotten rid of his jacket and tie and he had never bothered with the vest when he got dressed today. Thus, he only had so much clothing on to protect him from Kana – _Kuran's_ roaming hands.

Clothing that was disappearing way too fast for his comfort.

"Why are you fighting me like this, Zero?" the dark haired brunette asked, his voice soft as velvet.

Zero gave him a look of disbelief. "You're getting married!" Gods above and below, the words hurt so much more once spoken.

Kaname froze. "That… can be fixed." Was it just Zero or did his voice shake? The level D decided he didn't care.

Moving quickly Zero brought up every instinct he had from hunting and tapped ever so lightly in to his vampire side. Using both he maneuvered himself so that he was facing the older vampire before pushing him into the wall, his hands fisted into the elder's shirt.

"Oh, yeah? And what about Yuki? What is she to you, then?" He didn't realize his eyes were teary until he was forced to blink them away. Gods damn this bond! The emotional push and pull between his two mentalities was going to drive him over the edge.

Kaname reached up to his face and trailed his thumb across Zero's bottom lip. Zero was too shocked to do anything other than freeze as the vampire continued to trace his face with his fingertips.

"A sister, a friend, maybe… but mostly," Kaname's dark chocolate eyes slowly tinged red, "But mostly, just a mistake."

Zero didn't have time to retort before Kaname's lips attacked his own. The elder vampire was brutally gentle as he expertly slipped his tongue into Zero's mouth.

Zero moaned against Kaname's invasion, his hands slipping from the pureblood's jacket to become tangled in the other vampire's silky hair.

They broke away from each other gasping, Zero with his knees resting on either side of Kaname against the wall and Kaname with his arms supporting the prefect's back.

Zero gasped as Kaname striped away his shirt, leaving him bare-chested while Kaname still maintained his entire uniform. The prefect didn't quite have time to mention this inequality though as Kaname once again bent forward to kiss him, his lips trailing over Zero's chest while his hands swept over the silverette's back.

Being so occupied by the pureblood's tormenting kisses and near-evil touches, Zero barely recognized being moved until he felt his back touch against the soft material of his bed.

"Nnh, Kaname..?" Zero knew this probably wasn't the best time for questions. But if he was going to go through with something this potentially life changing/stupid like his emotions were begging him too, he needed to know something.

"Yes, love?" Love? Gods, how long had it been since anyone had called him that? He could only remember one or two people who'd made a habit out of it; both of them were dead now.

"What am I to you?"

Because while books were just fine when it came to giving answers to Zero's hunter-side, Zero's inner-vampire was still raw with confusion and rage. It needed to be soothed, the bond confirmed, before it ripped something apart.

And, as much as it stung his pride, he could recognize that Kuran was the only one with that power. The balm his burning soul needed so desperately.

Kaname stopped for just a fraction of a second and looked at him, his ruby eyes shimmering with something feral and wild and an emotion Zero hadn't seen enough to readily recognize.

Kaname leaned down and in a hot, hushed whisper, declared; "You are mine Zero Kiryu. You are my _mate_ and you _always_ will be."

And so, with a sigh of contentment on his lips, Zero let himself fall.

* * *

**Okay! Well, I really hoped everyone liked that! Originally I was going to cut it off at the end of Aidou's part but then I felt a bit guilty about the lack of fluff so I decided to throw some in! I really hope everyone enjoyed this and that you'll keep reading and review! (And not roast my head on a pike due to not killing Yuki, my late chapters, and a bunch of other crap I'd rather not name!)**

**And give a big, generous hand to my wonderful beta, SunaT.U! The reason this thing is so much more coherent! **

**Please Review! *Does super-mega-extra-powerful-irresistible-begging-eye s!***

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**

**(PS: I finished this chapter at exactly 12:00am, creepy eh?)**


	8. The Full Moon's Aftermath

What.

The.

Fuck.

Had.

Just.

Happened?

That was all Zero wanted to know, was that so bad? One minute he had been in the ridiculously comforting arms of one Kaname Kuran and the next... well, a chain of events had taken place that, while extremely pleasurable, were definitely not something he needed to review right now. If only so he could pretend that he still had some sort of twisted self-respect or dignity left.

Honestly, Zero didn't even know if Kaname had bitten him! Or had he bitten Kaname? Well, one of them had definitely bitten the other if the blood on his sheets was anything to go by...

Oh, fuck it! He was so screwed!

Whatever happened to his plan of just slipping into oblivion? Whatever happened to the plan of Kuran getting the girl, just like in the stories, and leaving him the hell alone? That was how it was supposed to play out!

But we all know that nothing had gone to plan, Zero thought petulantly. Hell, Zero hadn't even planned to live through the battle with Rido, and look at who still had a heartbeat.

Why hadn't it gone to plan though? It wasn't as if Zero had tried to fight it. He had known what his place in the game had been from day one. It had been the same role he'd played his entire life! He was the knight; always protecting, always expendable, and not nearly important enough to make it through to the end of the game. And he'd played the role _perfectly_.

After all, Zero had always been okay with the position. He was _used_ to it. He expected it and he preferred it.

But now Kuran was screwing it up! And Zero had no clue why!

Okay, so that was a lie. He knew why. He and Kuran were mates, as was plainly exhibited and confirmed by the last night's… activities.

Zero groaned into his pillow. Why couldn't things have gone to plan? Fuck, if he remembered correctly, even his and Kuran's recognition of the bond hadn't gone the way it was supposed to.

Vampires were supposed recognize their mate on sight, or in very rare cases, the moment they first smelt their mate's blood. Zero had been seen by and bled in front of Kuran countless times. How had the older vampire not realized it during one of those occasions? Had his seal, or some other Kiryu family failsafe, come into play without Zero knowing it and blocked Kaname's senses?

Or could it be that Zero had been right in his original assumptions and Yuki really was Kaname's mate, leaving Zero, once again, as a pawn of some kind? Or this time... just a plaything? Something Kuran planned on keeping around for his own amusement?

Zero didn't know. He desperately wanted to believe that Kaname was being truthful about all of this, especially after last night. Everything in him despaired at the thought of having given himself to the pureblood in a moment of emotion only to have it thrown back at him. But…Zero had been lied to so many times in his life, and Kuran, if nothing else, was a _very_ good liar. Zero had a right to be wary of him.

There was something in the pureblood's eyes that night, though. In his voice, when he'd laid his claim to Zero. Some kind of raw, emotional, _something_ in the pureblood's aura as the older man had growled his declaration into the silverette's skin. Zero couldn't place it but it made him want to believe in the pureblood. Could someone fake something like that?

Zero really, desperately hoped not.

Because if you could… than Zero had just possibly made the biggest mistake of his life.

Zero sighed once before setting his emotions aside. Fuck! He was acting like some depressed schoolgirl, dammit all. He might as well just go trade in his uniform right now!

Throwing the sheets off him (with a stubborn intention to change them when he got back), Zero quickly showered and dressed. He checked the clock to see that for the first time since the Kurans had arrived he might actually get a chance to go to classes without being grossly late and grabbed his book bag, iPod, and Blood Rose.

After locking the door, Zero jumped the stairs and ran his way to class; mentally cursing himself, his family, _and _Kaname Kuran into oblivion as he ran.

* * *

Kaname sighed as he let his head fall down onto his desk. Why did everything have to be so bloody annoying? The sun was so bright and the documents he had gotten up early to work on were so long and _boring _and Yuki was _so_ loud as she bounced around his office like some _fucking _little _idiotic_ pain in the ass...

Kaname was half way through a rather graphic and heavily sadistic scenario that involved Yuki and a large army of vicious piranhas when he realized something.

He wasn't reacting to his own emotions.

Oh no, no matter how annoying Yuki got, Kaname rarely ever allowed himself to dream of her demise. He felt he owed his parents to at least _try _and think nicely of his ever-annoying younger sister, no matter how intolerable she was.

Zero on the other hand…

Kaname suppressed a smile as he realized what was going on.

He was picking up on his mate's emotions and applying them to his own current situation. It was one of the most common side effects between mates who were coming close to completing their bond and Kaname just barely resisted doing a happy dance at its appearance.

Of course, this also meant that someone must have royally pissed off his silver haired angel if his younger mate's emotions were so strong as to have influenced him when he had been trying so hard to drive all thought of his sarcastic, pessimistic, and all too delicious prefect from his mind. It was a goal Kaname was finding more and more futile as time went on.

Running a hand through his hair, Kaname leaned back in his plush leather chair. He couldn't help but smirk as he imagined who the poor, unfortunate soul was that had pissed off the fiery ex-human. He let a full-blown smile creep across his face when he decided that it had to have been Headmaster Cross.

He was the only person on campus who would purposely argue with the teen, mostly likely asking him to do something less than pleasant in the prefect's opinion.

_'That', _Kaname thought, feeling his smile slip, _'or he could have brought up the wedding_ _again.' _The thought literally made Kaname ill. He didn't think he could even _entertain_ the idea of having Yuki as a wife now that he knew for sure Zero was his love, especially after last night...

Kaname smiled happily, it wasn't like they had done anything bad. Well, not really anyway.

Or at least, not if you took into consideration just how hard it was to ignore the lustful feelings commonly shared between mates. With that in mind, it could have been a lot worse – or better – depending on your point of view.

Hell, the only reason Kaname had even come to see Zero that night was because of the raging emotions he had felt coming from the younger prefect's room. They had been so strong Kaname had thought his love might have been going through a blood lust or something of that nature only to find him pacing and crying, with more tears already gathering in his captivating violet eyes.

Kaname hadn't thought twice when those eyes had flicked to his hiding place, monetarily connecting with his without the prefect's notice. He had immediately given in to his instincts, gathered his younger mate in his arms and tried to sooth him. Gods, Zero felt so good in his arms. Even more so when the other had finally relaxed into Kaname's hold.

From there, well, Kaname didn't want to sound cliché, but… one thing had just led to another.

One _glorious_ thing after another.

Kaname smiled, he now believed he was one of, if not the only person in the world that could say that they knew Zero Kiryu from top to bottom.

_'Well,' _Kaname amended, _'at least physically.' _Kaname had known from the second his eyes had first connected with the violent future prefect's when Zero had just been a child that there was something more to him than he was letting on. He had gotten that same feeling with both Ichiru and Shizuka, even after he had gotten to the bottom of their plans. Even now, he had still had the feeling that he was missing something; and something _big, _at that.

And now...

And now Kaname had to figure out just what it _was _that Zero seemed to be so dead-set on hiding.

Kaname frowned as he thought back to the night before. During his – er, _exploration_ – of the younger vampire's body, he had come across something puzzling.

On his left hip just below were the waistband of his pants would have sat, Kaname had discovered a small, cloudy grey tattoo of a tribal-like rose bloom. Usually Kaname would have just disregarded it as another one of Zero's (adorable) rebellious streaks, but when the pureblood had brushed his thumb over the smooth, inked patch of skin the mark had hummed in response. Not unlike the way the seal on Zero's neck did.

Kaname had questioned him about it briefly but a sharp tug on his hair and a desperate order to "keep doing whatever you're doing" had quickly made him loose interest in the little mark. Or at least, they had until now.

Shaking his head slightly, Kaname absently thought that, in order to keep track of all of Zero's secrets, he'd have to make a list.

_Or,_ an irksome little voice in the back of his mind whispered, _you could just start looking through all those hunter books you had Aidou bring you._

Kaname looked at said aforementioned books and mentally groaned as he saw the small mountain of them he had dumped into the drawers in his desk and the slightly larger mountain he had hidden _under_ his desk. Hell! He was even _sitting_ on one of the stupid things!

He had originally tried to shove them all into one drawer when he heard Yuki bounding up the hallway into his office spouting her continued _crap_ about love, and clothes, and weddings and a bunch of other _crap _that he hadn't found necessary to listen to. He'd then realized that Aidou must have robbed the hunters of all their books if 100+ pile of thick ass leather bound monsters set neatly (and alphabetically) on his desk was anything to go by. He had also, annoyingly enough, found that they would most definitely _not_ fit in one fucking little puny drawer like he had planned!

…

Humm, it would seem that Zero was still pissed if his emotions were an indication.

But anyway, in his haste to hide said books from said annoying and snoopy little pain in the ass more commonly known by the annoyingly sweet term, 'Yuki', he had hurriedly dumped them into any and all hiding places he could find. And yes, that did include under his own ass.

Sighing deeply and mentally cursing the Hunter Association for just _now _starting to convert their information into computer files, Kaname shut the desk drawer. He continued to let his mind wander as he robotically signed document after document that had been stacked on his desk, tuning out Yuki and anything else that he deemed either annoying or unimportant as he did so.

Halfway through the mountain of papers and mindlessly answering Yuki's countless questions, Kaname's mind drifted to the discussion he had had with Shiki and Takuma the other day.

Said "discussion" had been mostly made up of his two 'acquaintances' (who really, might as well be friends by this point) trying every underhanded and dodgy trick in the book to get Kaname to tell them why he wasn't as interested, sexually or otherwise, in Yuki as he had been once upon a time.

Which, of course, Kaname had valiantly tried to avoid doing by telling them it wasn't their business with his most scary, pureblood-esque look on his face. But, as said before, he, Takuma, and Shiki had kind of moved past that point in their relationship and thus, they'd managed to weasel the truth out of him.

After a brief few minutes of trying to smother pleased grins, the two had then solemnly asked what he planned to do about it and what they could do to help. After which, Kaname had told them to cut the shit and speak their minds.

Something that he now regretted doing very, very much.

Every time he had seen them from that day forward they would drop little hints about whether or not he had made a move on the touchy prefect. They would pester him openly in private and gods curse them down, they continued to smile at him like the little devils they were every time Zero was even mention. Something that was done within vampire society way more than anyone would expect.

They called it supportive encouragement.

Kaname called it annoying as hell.

Thinking back, the only good thing that Kaname believed came of that meeting would be that he'd gotten a basic idea of how the rest of the Night Class (the only people he really cared about opinion-wise) would react to the announcement of his new mate.

According to Takuma and Shiki, it would seem that not many people were all that fond of the "Kuran Princess" and were plain out dreading the day she became queen. Of course, there were a few supporters, mostly lower class nobles who saw her as an easy mark to manipulate and minor gentry. But other than that, most self-respecting vampires only put up with her because of her pureblood status and a deep respect/fear of Kaname.

It was painfully clear that the girl who was once Yuki Cross; a sweet, courageous human who'd managed to gain most of the Night Class's respect, was now gone and with her, their admiration.

In her place was Yuki Kuran: a spoiled, stuck up, fake little Pureblood Princess with no patience for those she perceived as below her. Which, was pretty much everyone who wasn't a pureblood like herself. She was so concerned with being 'worthy' and 'perfect' that she'd fallen into the most common pitfall vampires faced and completely lost herself.

Kaname sighed sadly at the thought and the fact that he'd come to the end of his mountain of paper work. As much as he hated the stuff, which was a lot, he couldn't deny that it had its purposes, such as giving him an excuse to ignore Yuki, which was an extremely welcomed gift no matter if he could only use it every once in a while.

Turning his attention reluctantly back to Yuki, who was still going strong about the importance of some kind of silk or something similar, Kaname tried desperately to keep his focus on the girl. But gods, she just wasn't saying anything even _remotely_ interesting to him!

Plus, he had much better things to do.

Such as replay every delicious detail of the night before with Zero over and over in his head until it was literally burned there for all time.

_No! Kaname, focus! _He mentally yelled at himself. After all, he couldn't be caught gazing dreamily this early in the game, now could he?

But really, it wasn't like anyone could blame him for his short attention span towards non-Zero related things! Especially seeing as every time he wasn't doing something that required his full mental capacity, a picture of Zero desperate and panting surfaced in his mind. Kaname could see him even now, eyes half-mast and his cheeks bright red while the rest of his body was painted pale by the full moon—

Aw! Dammit, and there he went again!

Could he not just keep his beautiful prefect out of his mind long enough to get rid of Yuki? Would that really be so hard? All he had to do was keep himself from thinking about his mate's creamy white skin that gave in so easily against his fangs, and Gods, his taste; roses and rain water with just a hint of something else...

Kaname groaned, his head thumping down on the smooth mahogany of his desk. This was not going to be easy.

"And then I was thinking about the guest list! Well, actually it was the Headmaster who asked, but still I—"

"Yuki, is there a point to any of this?" Kaname asked, nearly as shocked as Yuki that he'd interrupted her.

The brunette – looking pretty and pink in a dress of silk and taffeta –left out a dainty scoff and placed her lace-gloved hands on her very slim hips. "Of course there is! Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying for the last two hours?"

Kaname didn't think it would be wise to reply honestly to that question.

"Of course I have, but—"

"But nothing! This is important Kaname! It's our wedding! I mean there's still so much to do! Like the cake and bridesmaid dresses and food and the guest list—"

"Calm down Yuki," Kaname pleaded, thoroughly tired of her ranting. "The food and cake can be done by the Kuran family chefs, and the seamstresses can tend to the bridesmaid things, and the guest list shouldn't be so hard," Kaname stated stoically. "I mean Headmaster, the Night Class, your human friend Yori, maybe Zero if you want—"

Kaname stopped when he noticed Yuki's nervous look and raised an eyebrow.

"Something you want to add, Yuki?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Yes, well." The princess cleared her throat, the diamonds on her velvet choker bobbing slightly. "It's just, do you really want Wakaba and Kiryu there? I mean, they're both hunters now, aren't they? And with the way Kiryu's been acting recently…" She ended trailing off in a grimace, one delicate hand waving airily as though to clear an unpleasant smell.

Kaname just barely kept his jaw off the floor. Yes, he had known Yuki had changed, that was really bloody obvious, and not only from the Night Class's commentary and the rumors he'd heard about the last class changeover, but this? After everything Zero and Yori had done for her? It made him feel ill.

"Yuki," he stated in his most 'cut the crap' tone, "are you even listening to yourself? You're talking about your best friend and the boy you grew up with! How could even consider speaking like this?" It was a testament to how pissed off Kaname was that he didn't even notice the gathering crowd of vampires surrounding the door to his office.

"Things are different now Kaname! Don't you understand that?" Yuki cried out, her voice angry and pleading and whiney all at once. Several vampires flinched from the high pitch.

"So if something suddenly changed you'd leave me in the dust too?!" Kaname felt a mad delight as Yuki began stuttering, though that feeling was quickly overcome by anger when he saw something flash in her eyes. She _would_ leave him behind if she needed to, the little bitch.

Kaname smirked to himself. She wouldn't be getting the chance to, not if he had something to say about it.

"Kaname – I, what a—"

"Shut up, Yuki." Kaname hissed, ignoring the smirks that had formed on the faces of all the other vampires who'd gathered to watch. "This – this was a mistake on my part and for that I'm sorry but I can't take it anymore! While you are my sister, I do not love you. The wedding is off!"

Yuki gasped and broke down right there in the office. Crystalline tears gushed down her snowy, china doll cheeks and her pink mouth open in loud, gaping sobs but Kaname didn't bare her another look.

Turning on his heel Kaname marched from his office with all the grace and arrogance someone of his position commanded. The vampires who'd gathered for the show parted like the Red Sea before Moses, all of them sensing the emotions of their Prince and knowing better than to convey their thoughts on the matter, be they complements or condemnations.

He knew that, eventually, this might have the potential to come around and bite him in the ass, but Kaname couldn't bring himself to care. He was too upset to care. He just wanted to see his Zero, thus was the reason why he was now headed to the Sun Dorms.

* * *

**I hate this chapter, it fought me every step of the way for completion and even then it's not up to my standards! I'm eternally sorry for the long wait and lack of anything with real substance happening in this chapter. I'm hoping things will start to pick up their pace a little more in chapters to come and that you'll all stick around until then! Thank you to all those who have Reviewed/Favourited/Alerted me and I hope to get another Review from you soon.**

**Also, give a huge applause to my wonderful beta, SunaT.U, who corrects my grammar gimps and puts up with my erratic schedule! **

**Please Review!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	9. An Elegant Intervention

By the next day's first bell, everyone knew about it.

This might have been because of one largely unknown fact. The fangirls of Cross Academy, you see, are not just determined to a slightly psychopathic level, they are also cunning, smart, and stealthy.

And manipulative.

Do not forget manipulative.

They are manipulative enough to outsmart a fully trained vampire hunter into putting up cameras in the Night Class Dorms and spells on those cameras so that no one would be able to find said cameras.

_This_ alone is why it would've been a good idea to erase their memories after the Rido Incident.

Or at least that was Zero and the other hunter kid's standpoint, or at least it _was _until the fangirl-run website went up.

The very funny, highly embarrassing (for the Night Class) and slightly informative fangirl-run website called 'V Tube' that was put up with the help of one of the more tech savvy hunter kids completely without the Night Class's or Headmaster's knowledge.

Zero was a proud member of said website and had even posted a thing or two, usually going there when he was in one of his "moods" as the other hunter kids and Headmaster put it.

Knowing all this, it was safe to assume that when one Zero Kiryu came back to his room after a day full of pointless work that couldn't keep his attention away from his current predicament with Kuran worth a damn he was in one of his "moods".

So, in hopes of not drowning in his "moodiness" he had logged onto the site in hope of finding something funny.

What he found, while pleasing to his more vindictive and jealous sides, only brought him down further in to his "mood".

_"Shut up, Yuki," Kaname hissed, ignoring the smirks that had formed on the faces of all the other vampires, "this - this was a mistake on my part and for that I'm sorry but I can't take it anymore! While you are my sister, I do not love you. The wedding is off!"_

Zero shoved off his headphones angrily and pushed back in his leather computer chair, letting himself go back as far as possible and his mind drift.

This was not supposed to be happening. He was not supposed to care about Kuran or anyone, really. He was just supposed to survive his time at Cross Academy, not draw attention to himself, and then disappear.

Getting attached was not part of the plan.

Falling in love was not part of the plan.

Falling in love with a bloody (heh, literally) _pureblood_ was _so_ far off the plan that he could no longer even make out the plan's silhouette against the sodding sunset.

Zero grimaced, why could something go right for once? Just one fucking thing—

The door snapped open, thus causing Zero to be broken from his inner angst and fall backwards off his preciously balanced chair all at once.

Leveling a glare at the tall brunette man smirking in his doorway and a slightly softer annoyed look at the smaller hazel-eyed girl at his side, Zero pulled himself to his feet. He felt only slightly mortified that he hadn't sensed them coming.

He blamed it on the aforementioned angst.

"Kaito, Yori. What are you doing here?" Zero asked, clearly annoyed.

Kaito, being his usual jerk-ish self, waltzed in and immediately popped open Zero's closet. A look of pain crossed his face when he saw the neat rows of Cross Academy uniforms.

"We," he said, pointing to Yori and himself, "are saving you and anyone near you from dying of your angst and general moodiness. Did you know you even have the other prefects worried? And here I thought they were all too dense to pick up on your evil moods. I guess I'll have to reconsider…" he said, his voice trailing off as he dug deeper into Zero's closet, searching for something that wasn't Academy wear.

Yori turned to the still glaring silverette with a halfway-sympathetic, halfway-amused smile.

"What Kaito is trying to say, Zero, is that, well, you need to get out more," she stated bluntly. "It's not healthy to stay boarded up in your room twenty-four-seven! Plus, the vampires are hosting a ball tonight and we need back up!" Her pleading expression shifted into an evil little smirk. "And I'd love to see the look on the Kuran Bitch's face when she sees what we've done with you." She seemed to be just restraining an evil cackle.

Zero sighed, he wasn't going to be getting out of this now, not with both Kaito _and_ Yori on his case.

In the time he'd really gotten to know Sayori "Yori" Wakaba, he'd learned a few things.

One was that she was extremely loyal to those she cared about. So much so that she was willing to face down vampire and fangirl alike if it meant sparing a friend some pain. Zero had found that out when she'd subtly called Yuki a fake bitch when the pureblood had made a snide comment on Zero's blood class. The other thing he'd learned was that she didn't take betrayal well and had a hidden vicious side a mile wide.

It seemed that Yuki hadn't known that.

"Aha! I knew you had some decent clothes in here!" Kaito cried out suddenly, holding a black bundle that looked suspiciously like the ripped skinny jeans the twenty-two-year-old hunter and punk-rocker-at-heart he had given Zero for Christmas a year ago.

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, Takamiya, I don't think those would be proper for a vampire soirée."

Kaito blinked for a second before snorting. "Firstly, I don't care what you wear to the stupid, pansy-ass soirée. That would be Yori's department, gods only knows why she wants it." He walked over and clapped Zero on the shoulder, a bright grin on his face.

"I, my dear oblivious friend, am referring for the after party! Which come hell or high water you will be attending. Secondly, when did I become Takamiya! I thought we were passed that!"

Zero glared and shrugged Kaito's hand off him. "The moment you started raiding my closet and what the hell do you mean by 'after party'?!""Zero growled, his voice getting progressively louder towards the end.

Kaito examined his nails. "Oh you know, the parties us hunters throw after we've done our duty at the soirées. The things you typically try your best to avoid," the brunette replied lazily before heading to Zero's dresser, seemingly intent on finishing his search for Zero's "descent" clothes.

"And I have no say in any of this?" Zero asked, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears.

Twin "yups" came from both the closet and dresser areas respectively. Zero blinked; damn Yori moved fast.

Zero flopped down on his bed with something akin to a huff (not that he'd admit it) and let out a silent moan. There was no bargaining (or escape) with these two (he should know). And besides, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

Zero snorted, yeah right.

* * *

Sayori Wakaba, daughter and heiress to a prominent law firm that dealt with Cross Academy's legal needs among other less mundane clientele, nearly gagged as she regarded herself in the mirror located in the onsite bathroom of her dorm room.

Dressed in a light turquoise taffeta gown with a mid-leg hem, Yori looked like some kind of sea goddess. The black pearl studs at her ears and the choker of the cream variety hanging around her delicate throat only accented the look. Her hair was curled into gentle spindles and a sharp contrast of blue and beige cast her face into something extraordinary.

Her shoes were flat and Grecian inspired, made of durable black leather and laced snugly in case she needed to run. Below the layers of flowing gown she had hidden a sheath of throwing daggers around her thigh, while a beautifully crafted fan edged with sharp anti-vampire metal fit nicely inside her black-beaded bag or her lace-covered hand. Apollo, a shorter, less obvious version of the Artemis Rod, kept the fan company inside her bag.

She was beautiful and unassumingly fatal. A deadly doll, pulled by no visible string but just as gorgeous and seductive to the hollowed gentry and wannabe noblemen and ladies she'd no doubt deal with before the night's end as one of their own painted-up marionettes.

Yori abhorred it all. Her body itched beneath the tight stockings and pushup bra. The pearls around her neck were too tight and her ears stung from shoving the studs through. The makeup looked garish and excessive in the surroundings of her little seashell bathroom and the silky fabric of her dress felt strange and unnatural against her skin. The scent of it all – the hairspray that kept her curls in place, the new-clothes smell of her dress, the over-powering perfume of too much money and makeup – made her ill.

Everything in her cried out for the gentle comforts of a warm sweater and soft, practical denim skirt. For her much loved suede jacket and subtler jewelry, for her more obvious fighting companion, the Artemis Rod, which Yuki had tossed off after becoming a pureblood. Not because it burned her, but because she didn't want it anymore.

But, she reminded herself soundly, this was her job now. As a hunter it was part of her duty to dress in this way when she had to, make nice, and be alert in the case of a vampire unable to control themselves. It was a duty she'd depended on when Yuki had shoved her aside so harshly that Yori had been left with nothing to hold onto. Yuki had been so much of her world. Yori had realized that she hadn't had much time to really be herself. Vampire hunting, the focus and discipline it provided, had been just the thing she'd needed to bring herself together again.

It had offered her a unique kind of support network too; in Kaito, Master Yagari, and Zero himself. Friends and mentors that she could really depend on, because if they hadn't liked or wanted her, she was sure she would know by now.

And thus, all of this – the make-up and fakery and fuckery she would surely endure – was worth it.

And messing with Kuran Senior was fun as hell too, Yori reminded herself.

What? Did you think she was blind? She'd seen the way the miserable old miser had been storming his way over into the Sun Dorms. It was the main reason she'd cunningly manipulated Kaito and Zero into coming over to her room to finish getting ready. Nine out of ten bet his mood had something to do with his break-up and that he was somehow trying to blame Zero for it, and like hell if she was going to let that happen.

So, with a sweet smile and gentle word she'd gotten her boys over to her room where she was sure Kaname wouldn't venture. It might not stave him off forever (seeing as Kana-crap would most definitely be at this little vampiric shindig they were supervising), but it would at least give Zero a chance to settle down whatever shit he was battling at the second without Kuran Asshole Senior hanging over his shoulder. He and Kaito had left for the limousine less than a few minutes ago, leaving Yori to finish her makeup and head down.

Feeling slightly better about the whole situation in a rather vindictive kind of way, Yori walked out of the bathroom and cast a look over at the black leather backpack she'd stashed all of the stuff she'd need for the after party in.

Yori grinned as she drug a finger over the edge of the bag, feeling hope swell in her heart that maybe policing the vampires wouldn't be so bad so long as she had the after party to look forward to. Sure, they were often wild, crazy, and alcohol-soaked, but they were also a hell of a lot of fun and she was a teenager. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the appeal.

Reassuring herself that it would be waiting for her in the limo that would be picking up the hunters after the soirée, Yori turned and pulled open the door of her room. Shutting it behind her, the sixteen-year-old quickly made her way down the halls and main staircase to the front of the building where an all-black limo waited, all the while reminding herself that only some soirées made you dress up and it was just their bad luck that had gotten them assigned to one that did.

Yori had always found herself hating those ones extraordinarily.

With resignation in every step and the promise of the after party driving her forward, Yori stepped into the limo, thanked the chauffeur as she slid in and buckled herself into one of the few seats that actually had a seatbelt in one smooth movement. A bemused smile was on her face as the door snapped shut, leaving her alone with the bickering duo now in front of her.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh come now Z, I'm sure you've tried it at least once."

"I—"

"Would someone like to fill me in here?" Yori asked, amusement plain on her face.

Kaito gaped, "My god, is that you Yori? Shit, if I didn't know better I'd say you were a vampire!"

Yori glared while Zero shook his head, a poor attempt at hiding one of his usually-rare smiles that now decorated his face.

"Seriously Yori-chan, you do look pretty nice. Though I'm not sure if blue is you colour..."

Yori snorted, trust Kaito to pick up on something like that. In all honesty she hated the dress more than a little, but she didn't have much choice. It was the only thing the Hunter Association's clothing stocks had in her size that didn't carry the risk of her boobs popping out the top if she needed to run.

Besides, she'd be climbing out of it and into her after party clothes the second the door of the limo slammed shut. Who gave a fuck if Zero and Kaito caught a flash of her in her underwear? Gods knew they were both gay anyway.

Pulling her thoughts away from the sweet relief of being out of her constricting gown, she turned to Zero and gave him one last look over before nodding to herself. She really had conducted a miracle when you considered what she'd been working with.

All in all, if you ignored Bloody Rose hanging on a chain from his waist and the Kiryu Clan's signet ring (which had only recently come into his possession after the death of Ichiru) on his forefinger, Zero looked, well, pureblood-like. Most specifically like a Hio, if you wanted to be cruelly accurate about it.

His hair had been brushed instead of just left to its own devices and now fell softly to his jaw in smooth layers while the piercings gave him an almost wicked edge. Through begging and blackmail she'd cajoled him out of that bloody Cross Academy uniform and into a sharp, streamlined black suit that she'd paired with a blood red silk dress shirt. The tie had been forgone, as per usual, but in the grand scheme of things that hardly mattered.

All of that coupled with Zero's signature blank glare came together to paint a very vampire-like picture, his ability to keep his cool and imperious attitude lending him the pureblood aspects.

His features just helped with that, Yori thought with a sigh. He, unlike Kaito and herself, had pale non-tanning skin and strange ethereal features that just weren't seen anywhere but for those with vampire ancestry or, apparently, Kiryu blood. She couldn't count how many rumors she'd heard while in the Association about that.

It was a strange act of irony when you thought about it. Zero, who had lost everything to Shizuka Hio, could almost pass as her relative if one bothered to look close enough.

Shaking away the unjust thoughts, Yori turned her eyes to the window but her attention was on her bickering partners, or more specifically, Kaito Takamiya.

The brunette had tried to pass off this little adventure as Yori being the worried one. In all honesty though, it had been Kaito who had come to her with the idea at the urging of Toga Yagari, the vampire hunter teacher Zero, Kaito, Ichiru and since just after the battle, she had been learning under.

Yori sighed tiredly. Something wasn't right.

Zero had been acting so strange lately. Not the kind of strange that signified him falling to E, thankfully, but still… it was like he was hiding something, something important.

Something that had to do with the Kurans. More specifically, the older, if Yori's observations were right.

"Kiryu-san, Takamiya-san, Wakaba-san, we have arrived," called the polite voice of their driver.

Yori just barely restrained a curse.

With dread she didn't let show on her face pooling in her stomach, Yori stepped confidently out of the limo and waited a moment for the others to do the same. She then followed Kaito and Zero into the main hall where they would then meet Yagari and proceed to suffer through the evening.

Yori shot one last look at Zero.

She just hoped that this soirée was the only bit of suffering they'd have to put up with.

* * *

**Hey there people! I've decided that I'm not even going to bother groveling for forgiveness over my lateness because, well, that might just take too long! So, anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. I'm hoping to have the next one out soon(ish) and I hope you all Review because those make me write faster!**

**Also give thanks to the amazing SunaT.U, the most wonderful beta ever!**

**Please Review!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	10. Loose Lips

"Is that Kiryu-san?"

"I know right? He looks so… different!"

"Kind of like _her, _but with purple eyes, doesn't he?"

"Yes, quite the cruel irony, isn't it?"

The two female aristocrats left after that, laughing airily at their supposed cleverness while Kaname was left to grind his teeth and pretend he hadn't overheard them.

He and his party of aristocrats (I.e. Takuma, Rima, Shiki, Aidou, Kain, Senri, Siren and Ruka) had only just arrived in the gleaming white ballroom. Kaname had forgotten the entire engagement altogether in the face of his painfully dramatic love life (not that he'd ever admit it), thus he'd slowed down his whole entourage enough that they'd just barely managed to arrive at a 'fashionably late' hour.

It had been just barely an hour since then and Kaname was already considering a murder-suicide plot.

Due to recent events (which every vampire worth their blood already knew about, of course), the up-until-that-morning most common subject of conversation – the wedding of the Kuran siblings – was off the table. Discussion of the cause, repercussions, and suspicions around the breakup, which during any other time would have happily replaced talk of what the bride and groom would wear, was also condemned to silence seeing as both the ex-bride and groom happened to be attending the ball. No one quite wanted to get fried if one of the pair lost it, as Kurans were known to do when displeased, so the bored and shallow members of the vampiric elite were relegated to finding something less potentially fatal to discuss. That 'something' had come to be how much less 'savage' the hunters looked when forced to dress 'civilly', and eventually a study on Zero Kiryu; the first hunter (and a _level D_ at that!) to gather the notice of the average upper class vampire.

Rumors drifted through the perfumed masses with a heavy hand, spurred on by the eerie feeling many a noble felt down their spine when they made the mistake of catching a hunter's glaring eye. Comments on Zero's physical similarities to the Madly Blooming Princess herself were made with a slight, subconscious nervousness in the voice of the speaker. Though, for the sake of pride, they were still said.

The hunters, it seemed, grew more riled with every word. Kaname quietly joined their ranks as the idiots he was surrounded by continued to gab.

Unfortunately, Kaname thought with acid, because he hadn't marked Zero as his, he was powerless to stop the morons. That was something that would need to be corrected quickly, he grumbled to himself, lest he do something bloody and violent in the near future.

_First though_, a voice sounding annoyingly close to Shiki's whispered teasingly through his head, _you'll have to actually __**find**__ him_.

Kaname barely restrained a sigh. Wasn't that the truth? While it seemed like everyone else at this gods-damned gathering had been able to see his beautiful lover, Kaname had yet to catch even a glimpse. It was driving him to the edge of his sanity and everyone knew how un-pretty that was to view.

Covertly biting his lip in displeasure, Kaname swung a morose look up at the overly grand analog clock that hung above the equally grand main doors. The delicate gold hands, carved, of course, with some kind of flower, slowly slunk their way along the clock's face to tell him that it was just barely reaching twelve in the morning. The party, he had been informed by a vaguely displease Takuma on their way to the venue, an old ancestral mansion of the hostess's, was to end at about _two_ in the morning.

It had taken all of his willpower to stamp down a tortured moan then, and now he was forced to let a little one slip by.

Drowning that same little moan with a tasteful mouthful of spiced blood-wine from his crystal goblet, Kaname scanned the crowd of richly dressed men and women for one distinctive head of silver hair and gemstone eyes. Most unfortunately, his search fell flat.

Kaname closed his own tired eyes for half a second and let his full weight be supported by a conveniently placed marble pillar. It was all so depressing. Even if his attendance did aide some political plans he was working on, the real reason he was even at the party was because a little birdy (named Siren) had whispered to him that Zero had been scheduled at the last minute to help patrol the party. Thus, in hopes of maybe cornering his silverette and getting a chance to speak with him, he had allowed himself to be dragged off and dressed up and presented to the masses like the king he would eventually be, according to the way things were going.

But, unfortunately, his Zero seemed to have some kind of power for disappearing if Kaname's current situation was anything to go by.

A weepy voice echoed behind him and immediately Kaname felt his eyes roll of their own accord. The voice, that of his once-darling baby sister, was going on about heartache and perseverance in the face of failing love. All around her voices of low-end nobles and fickle gentry rose up in accord with her words. Their praise and sympathy was seasoned with enough fakery to make Kaname's bullshit radar go flying off the scale.

If seemed that if there was one person who _didn't_ know how to disappear, it was Yuki Kuran.

After sobbing loudly in her room for the better part of the day, she had somehow pulled herself from her blatant misery long enough to decided she too was going to attended the ball of Madame Kurosaki, the vampire noble who was hosting the party, even though she hadn't been formally invited.

Fortunately for Yuki (and perhaps the opposite for everyone else), Kurosaki had been forced to concede to the other vampire's wishes. Yuki was, after all, still a Kuran Princess if not by marriage then by blood. Anyone who hadn't pledged fealty directly to Kaname was still honour bound to serve her, including the House of Kurosaki. Even if the Madame herself now looked to be considering swearing her family name to Kaname just to avoid dealing with his sister.

If the mere fact that she'd shown up wasn't enough, Yuki had done so with enough drama and fanfare to make it awkward for everyone involved. A trail of minor nobles followed after her, catering to her every whim while her gown was tight enough and low cut enough that if not for the high quality fabric, she might have been mistaken for an upper-class mistress.

All she could talk about, it seemed, was how roughly she felt life was treating her. From Rido's obsession with her (which was a crass enough subject to bring up, in Kaname's mind), to how her beloved 'Kaname–sama' had spurned her; all of it well-seasoned with tears and sobs.

Cross (who for some reason was in attendance, not that anyone had bothered to inform Kaname) seemed to share her feelings. He himself had shed a few tears while holding close the arm of Toga Yagari, who didn't seem to give a rat's ass either way and continued to glare at anything with fangs with his usual disregard. Though, the small smirk to his lips when he saw Yuki wailing might have led to other conclusions.

Kaname had seen something the others hadn't, though. After the crowds had dispersed from around the two Cross's waterworks had died with little to no provocation, a mirthless smile taking their place while Yagari had busied himself with a cigarette. This was a gesture Kaname had noticed he only carried out when he sought to distance himself from something. After that, the two had disappeared and Kaname had yet to catch another glance of them.

This led more than a couple of questions to form in Kaname's mind; the least of all why Cross was at the party (after all, the headmaster was trying to get elected for Hunter Association President; he could have been there for something political).

Fuck it, Kaname thought with aggravation, so the whole bloody school was going nuts? Who was he to question it?

Besides, he had other questions to ponder over. Such as how in the seven levels of hell he was going to introduce he and Zero to Cross Academy, let alone the rest of the vampiric world.

He was going to need to tell them soon, too, Kaname thought. The fact that two of his nobles, Takuma and Shiki, already knew made it easier. But he was still a little wary over how the others, such as Aidou and Ruka, might react. They, after all, did have the most explosive tempers out of his inner circle and they were the most vocally protective of him, especially after this latest mess with Yuki.

And then there was the fact that he'd still not read those books he'd had Aidou fetch for him. His practical excuse for that was that between the recent drama and his physical time constraints, he hadn't found the right moment. In all actuality though, it was that fact that he got a weird feeling every time he settled himself down to read those books that kept him from picking them up again.

It was as if they gave off an aura that told him his life would turn out better if he just let them rest in peace, or maybe even got rid of them altogether. He'd been halfway to the fire with the first book when he'd realized what he'd been doing. Kaname was actually thinking of having one of his more magically inclined nobles check them over before having another go at them.

Sighing despondently to himself, Kaname quietly longed for the days when he hadn't had a care for how people reacted. When they had all been too frightened of him to voice their criticisms. Perhaps he could go back to that if he blew up a few more political enemies…

No, Kaname told himself harshly, if he did that it would just get him locked up away from his Zero!

But only if they could catch him…

Kaname was drawn from his musings by a sharp, clear voice to his left.

"Kuran-san, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to you. Privately." Kaname cast considering eyes over the girl in front of him, a little taken aback when he recognized her face.

Dressed like something out of a modern myth, Sayori Wakaba was barely recognizable as the loyal, trustworthy friend of Yuki's he'd always know her as. Though still physically small, reaching maybe 5'5 at best, she cut an imposing figure in the candlelight, much more so than some of the vampires Kaname had seen throughout the night.

She was also a friend of Zero's, Kaname remembered, trying to see her through the eyes of his mate, as well as a rising star in the Hunter Association. He'd need to tread carefully around her.

He inclined his head to her and straightened, though he didn't offer his arm. Her posture was tense, wary, and he didn't want her to take the gesture as a remark against her ability to defend herself.

She did similarly and made her way apart from the crowd, towards one of the many secluded balconies that overlooked the garden, which had been closed to the party guests due to some remodeling. Kaname mentally congratulated her on her choice. Between the chatter of the guests and the privacy spells placed on the balconies, no one would overhear their discussion… which, of course, led to the question of what it was exactly she felt needed discussing in such secrecy.

Curiosity more than anything else taking control of him, Kaname silently stepped out onto the polished marble, quietly reveling in the cool night's air on his face even while he surveyed his new surroundings.

Wakaba had seated herself on the great stone railing of the balcony, her back to the smooth stone of the manor's outer wall. A good position, he thought, as he positioned himself opposite her, using his magic to shut the French glass doors, effectively cutting them off from the noise.

"What do you want with Zero?" Her voice was icy, cold, and defiant, sharp and to the point. Kaname was tempted to take a step back but caught himself. His face went blank as he tried to figure out first what had tipped her off and second, how in the hell he was to deal with it.

Pulling a consoling smile from the depths of his mind, he decided the best thing to do would be to convince her otherwise. After all, he wasn't the king of bullshit for nothing, was he?

"I don't know what gave you that idea, but—"

"Cut the crap, Kuran," she bit out. "I've watched you use that voice before, on Yuki, your nobles, Day Class girls, you name it. I don't want to hear it." She turned to face him full on, honey eyes like gold. "I just want to know what Zero could have possibly done to draw your interest again."

Kaname bit his lip. Well, there went that plan. "You seem to have this all figured out, don't you?"

She let out a short laugh, more of a snort really, he thought, with a resigned air. Sure, he could always force her to forget – through magic or coercion, he'd done both enough to be a master at them – but he didn't want to risk Zero finding out and thinking him more of a monster than the silverette already did. Plus, he liked this new Yori; this stronger, more cynical version. He was glad Zero had someone so loyal on his side.

So that led to the question of just what he was going to do…

"Look," she said eventually, when it had become abundantly clear Kaname wasn't talking. "I don't really care what your endgame or whatever is. I just don't want to see Zero hurt again." Her eyes were becoming softer now, a hard metal tempered by bad memories. "You probably don't care, but you really fucked some stuff up the last time you decided to play one of your games," her gaze was vicious this time. "That can't happen again."

Kaname took this advice considerately, blatantly ignoring his baser instincts which told him this girl had _no_ right whatsoever to tell him what to do in regards to his mate.

"What if I told you that all of what I'm doing right now was for Zero's benefit?" Kaname spoke quietly, tiredly. He was getting too old for these games, as necessary as they were.

Sayori watched him with narrowed eyes, "I suppose I'd have to ask you for some proof."

"And if this could be provided," Kaname wheedled.

Sayori left out a weighty breath, running her hand through her honey-brown locks before turning her eyes back to Kaname. "Then, depending on whether you're full of it or not, I'd do what I felt was best for Zero."

_Perfect_.

Kaname's lips pulled themselves into a slow smile, a plan crafting itself in his mind as he chose his next words. "Tell me, Miss Wakaba, what do you know of vampire culture?"

* * *

Kaien Cross looked down on the decadent party-goers of vampire society with pensive eyes, his mind working quickly behind his glazed gaze.

He'd spotted Kaname Kuran following Sayori Wakaba out onto a balcony not ten minutes ago, the girl's face tense while Kaname had looked almost inquisitive. From the lack of blood in the air he could only guess that whatever discussion they were having (there was no other reason for them to be out there alone) had gone well.

_It won't be much longer now_, he thought calculatingly. If they were talking about what he thought they were, then perhaps Kaname had more sense when it came to Zero than he'd thought. It would certainly help him in the long run, at least. Even more so if things continued to go the way the retired hunter thought they were.

Sighing, the two-hundred-year-old ex-hunter sent a gentle look at his 'son' from his perch on the second floor. Zero was only now creeping out into the ballroom, a wary look on his face as he scanned the room before relaxing a little and stepping out, obviously relieved that Kaname was nowhere in sight. The silverette was looking more tired by the minute, making Kaien wish the circumstances were different.

Pulling his eyes from the scene, Kaien whispered a little hunter prayer to whatever power was listening before going off to search for Yagari. Kaien had never been particularly religious, but he found it was comforting to think that someone was looking out for you when you were watching something this big unfold.

And this would be big, he thought, footsteps echoing in empty hallway. It always was when you dealt with purebloods.

* * *

**Could it actually be? An update? Be still my beating heart! And what is this, rising action? Could a climax be in sight? After so long? I can't believe it! Amazing!**

**Hem hem, anyway. Amazingly huge thanks to all my readers, you beautiful, loyal people who have kept me going during the three days I've spent face-lifting this story, with a special thanks to **_ShadowsOfPenAndPaper_**, who ever so helpfully gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get this thing written.**

**On another note, I've done it again. I went back and rewrote some shit and I actually fused two chapters together because I found that they flowed much better as one. I'm very sorry about this but you may want to look over the story again, just in case you notice something glaring different from what you read before. So sorry.**

**Anyway, know I love you all and this story will eventually be finished.**

**Also, give love to my wonderful beta, SunaT.U! Who is highly amazing! **

**NOTE: There is a poll on my profile asking what you guys would be interested in seeing me write next. Please give me your two cents! I would really like to know!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	11. Not All Knights Are Men

Yori watched the eldest Kuran sibling with deliberating eyes, mentally weighing what he was saying against what she already knew.

Contrary to popular vampiric belief, hunters did know a thing or two about their prey's mating habits. After all, 'know thy enemy' includes knowing all their weaknesses inside and out, correct? And what could possibly put a vampire at a weaker position than having their soul mate presented before them by a hunter pressing a knife to their throat?

So yes, Yori knew a few things about mates, such as that a vampire could only have one and that they usually knew them right away. This of course led to the question of how the _fuck_ Kuran could have messed up his feelings for Yuki and Zero so badly that he'd end up harming the one he was supposed to love. It was the odd thing out from all the other symptoms he was giving her.

Other than that though, everything the bastard was saying matched up damn near perfectly with what she'd been taught by Yagari, whom she trusted above all others when it came to getting solid information on vampires. Vaguely she wondered if perhaps the hunter seals Zero wore could have disrupted Kaname's vampire senses, leading to the confusion...

Snatching up the thought with a deft mental hand, Yori pursed her lips, considering the possibility before giving an equally mental shrug. Well, there was only one way to find out, she guessed.

"Kuran," she cut in, successfully shortening the overly-roundabout speech the pureblood was giving on vampire history. Perhaps he was trying to bore her to death? It seemed plausible. Under normal circumstances Kuran obviously knew how to cut to the chase. Could his extra yammering be an attempt to distract her?

Yori snorted; not in this lifetime.

"Could it be possible that you didn't realize your mate was Zero due to his hunter seals?" she asked professionally, putting thoughts to words with little-to-no drama.

Kuran's handsome face tweaked into a minuet frown, "He has more than one?"

Yori could have kicked herself. Wasn't Yagari's first rule not to let any information slip to the enemy? Sure, Kuran couldn't exactly be considered the enemy anymore, what with seeing as he was probably Zero's best chance at being in love. But he certainly wasn't an ally! _Not yet, at least_, she tacked on shrewdly.

Sucking in a breath, she thought bitterly that perhaps Zero had been right not to tell her anything when she'd enquired about his secondary seal over the summer. He'd been injured when she'd discovered it; a small rose-like mark on his hip that had shocked her like an open wire when she'd brushed it while bandaging his stomach after a particularly harsh level E extermination mission.

She'd asked him about it, of course; figuring that if she was going to keep treating his injuries like she foresaw, she might as well know about anything else that might cause complications in the future. Zero, on the other hand, had refused to talk about it point blank. The dark look on his face reassured her that the answer wasn't worth the risk of losing Zero's hard-won trust in her.

She'd bluntly changed the subject after a few tense, silent seconds, the relived expression in her best friend's violet eyes having easily convinced her of her decision. She trusted Zero, after all. If it really was something she needed to know about, he'd tell her when the time was right.

Gods knew they all had their secrets. It would do no one any good to go prying for something like curiosity's measly sake.

Now though, it seemed that she'd just fucked that up. Gods she hoped it wasn't something crucially important, seeing as she didn't think lying would get her out of this. Don't get her wrong, she could fudge some things, but against a pureblood… yeah, fudging it wouldn't cut it.

Huffing, Yori crossed her arms and prepared to sing what she knew like the trapped canary she was.

"I don't know much about it, okay? So you can quit giving me that 'this is going to be easy' smirk," she started off, waiting for Kuran to wipe said aforementioned smirk off his face before speaking again.

"As far as I know he's had it since forever, seeing as there's no mention of it in his medical file," which she'd known since she'd first gotten those records at the start of her medical training. So no, she hadn't been snooping (technically). "But other than that… well, your guess is as good as mine."

"Where is it located?" the pureblood asked, expression akin to blank paper. Yori glared venom at him.

"His hip; it's a little flower. You'd have to be blind to miss it." _Or stupid_, she added to herself. Kuran obviously had capability to be both when he so chose.

Kuran nodded like she'd just confirmed something for him and straightened a little. Any confidence she'd shaken from him with her attitude had obviously had been set back into place now that his little inference – whatever it had been – had been proven one way or another.

"What makes you think he's always had it?" the pompous ass (just because he was Zero's 'mate' didn't mean she needed to like him) asked inquisitively. "Could the Association have just left it off the records on purpose after placing it on him?"

Yori snorted. "For someone who likes to blather about his own culture, you sure don't know much about ours, do you?"

Kuran gave her a strained, consoling smile that was mostly diffused by the tiny twitch in his cheek. Yori smothered a self-satisfied grin. No wonder Zero liked baiting this guy; it was fun as hell.

"I don't, unfortunately, but I have been trying to learn more about it," Kuran stated as he prepared his metaphorical rod to go information fishing.

Yori returned his previous smile but unlike Kuran's, hers was tinted with a new found bitterness for the world. The good feeling she'd gained by harassing the pureblood plummeted with his hint for further explanation.

"First thing you'll want to know is that while we might hold contempt for vampires, really, we're no better than them." She absently twirled a hair-sprayed curl around her finger as she picked her words.

"We may not suck blood, but we are cruel and are used to spilling it." She cast her eyes at Kuran, whose face had gone respectfully blank; something that raised him a few notches from 'scum sucking toad' to 'splinter in my foot' in her book.

"Kuran, do you know when most born hunters kill their first target?" she asked eventually, her voice soft in the warm night air.

Kuran took a second, a hint of confusion in his eyes as though he were asking how the question could possibly relate back to the subject at hand. Yori just watched him silently, judgmentally. If he truly wanted to understand the Association, and by extension, Zero, he'd better be prepared do so properly.

"I'm not completely sure," the pureblood answered slowly, obviously not used to being unsure of something, "but I'd imagine it to be somewhere in the middle-teens." Yori grinned a monster's smile, acidic chuckles leaving her bronze-painted lips at the vampire's ignorance.

"'The first assisted extermination a born-hunter should commit is expected to be around the age of eight, with their first solo a year or two after. Any later and the parents should possibly considered their child not right for this path,'" Yori quoted, enjoying the slight widening of the pureblood's eyes before Kuran had a chance to cover it.

"That line comes directly from the Hunter's Manual, along with other such lines that basically say 'the sooner, the better,'" she explained further, not bothering to wait for Kuran to 'get with the program', so to speak.

"Zero, being the little prodigy he was, killed his first solo when he was seven during a mission just after the one that cost Yagari his eye. From there Zero rarely ever let a level E get past him, right up until Shizuka went batshit. If not for her, Zero could have arguably made top hunter by the age of fifteen, with the way he was going." Yori's smile was poison in an expression.

"It's funny how things work out, hum?" she mused; waiting to see what Kuran's reaction was before going any further.

"I'm sorry," Kuran murmured, his voice more aged than before, "but what exactly does this have to do with Zero's seals?"

Yori sighed, "Let me answer your question with another question," because she could be roundabout as shit too, Kuran. "How do we hunters rationalize what basically boils down to murder?"

"I don't know," Kuran answered with no hesitation at all. He was obviously getting tired of the subject. Yori's smile lost a bit of its cruelty. She could understand that, at least. Talking of the Association wasn't ever a particularly pleasant thing, let alone when it became personal.

"Honour," She murmured. "We rationalize training our children to kill people by calling it honourable, by creating no other option. Honour, above all other, is the most important thing to a hunter. Without it, we are monsters." She looked away from Kuran's searching gaze, absently wondering how he'd react to the next bit of her explanation.

"To be bitten is the most shameful thing a hunter can experience. To be bitten because of a family member's betrayal… that's ten times worse. If there had been other, loyal Kiryus left alive at the end of the Shizuka Incident, if the Kiryu family hadn't been so integral to the running of the Association, if Cross hadn't stepped in…" She shut her eyes for a second before opening them, "Zero could have very well been executed."

Kuran's body was frozen in place when she eventually swivelled her eyes back to him. If not for the fire of hatred boiling in his wine-like gaze, she would have compared him to an Armani-clad mannequin, but the violence radiating from his stare was enough to quiet even her sarcastic mind.

She decided the best thing to do would be to continue her story, though whether he would actually hear her through his own anger was unknown.

_At least he's keeping his aura down,_ she thought as she cleared her throat. _I'd hate to see what the nobles would do if they got a face full of that._

"As it was though, they simply sealed his vampire side away. While doing this they made a huge thing of it, making sure that everyone knew that the Kiryu family was just as shamed as they would have been if Zero had been executed; even more so because he _wasn't_. They used that, the seal, as a way to pretty much block Zero from Association politics and so much more."

Things like inheriting the right to be head of his family upon his seventeenth birthday; a right that went to _Ichiru_, of all people, because technically he was still human. Thankfully with his death and the number of younger hunters on the board raising a fuss, Zero had recently reclaimed the position he should have been given immediately, in her opinion.

"In essence," she continued after a brief silence, "he was exiled because of that seal. It doesn't make sense that the same fuss wouldn't have been kicked up about this second one if it hadn't been part of his family inheritance." She was rambling, probably. But really, how was it possible to keep a level head when she had the most powerful vampire of the modern age staring her down?

Finally Kuran turned his eyes away from her, which in turn let her take a breath of mild, late September air without choking on the tension coating it.

After a few minutes of silence in which Sayori guessed Kuran was taking a few calming breaths also, or whatever he did to get his shit under control, the intimidating pureblood once again turned his attention to her.

"Thank you for the information, Miss Wakaba," the pureblood said, all propriety and practicality; no trace of his assuredly boiling rage left. "I hope giving it to me put you at no risk yourself."

Yori opened her mouth, eyes wide as the vampire pushed himself away from the wall he'd been standing against most of the night and made to leave. Oh, he'd better not be going to do what she thought he might…

"Where are you going?" she asked, getting to her feet. Kuran turned back and gave her look that told her exactly how little she mattered in his grand scheme of things.

Ah, so _there_ was the anger she'd seen missing.

Yori decided she didn't particularly give a fuck.

"I'm _going_ to go find my mate," he eventually said in a voice just a step from a hiss, eyes like frozen wine. Yori glared at him.

"Not like that you're not," she snapped. "You'll only make him panic if you go marching up to him like some self-entitled asshole and strong-arm him away. Especially at a vampire soirée, of all places!"

The pureblood was on her before she even had the time to blink. Long white fingers wrapped themselves tightly around her throat while his strong arm up jerked her up and slammed her against the rough stone of the manor's outer wall. Air left her lungs in a rush as her feet were pulled away from the floor, the shock of it causing her to drop her bag (which carried almost all of her weapons, of course) in favour of keeping Kuran from snapping her neck.

"And what, exactly, makes you think I care for anything you say?" the ancient being growled at her, fangs fully extended and eyes a glowing, pulsating red.

"Because," she gasped, struggling to breath. A thin veil of sweat broke out over her body as her mind went into fight or flight mode. "I know him better than you do."

Kuran dropped her like she had suddenly become made of fire. Yori hit the stone floor of the balcony with the near-soundless thump, snatching up her embroidered handbag from the stones without a second thought but managing to stay her hand from retrieving her weapon. It wasn't like she'd be able to fight him – she had no delusions of grandeur. And besides, if they fought everyone in a half a mile would come running, not something either she or Kuran needed particularly.

"I apologize," Kuran said after an awkward moment in which Yori struggled to pull oxygen in through her smarting airway, "I wasn't in control."

_No duh_, Yori mentally snarked, though her sore throat kept her from saying it aloud. Still, even with her only-now-lessening fear of being strangled by an irate vampire lord pumping through her veins, she knew she needed to stop him. If Kuran went after Zero here, amongst nobles and hunters and anyone else who'd deemed to show up, it would only lead to bad things. He needed to talk to Zero somewhere where people were distracted by more than spiced blood-wine and gossip, where it was easier to disappear and most importantly, where Zero felt comfortable—

The answer hit Yori like an atomic bomb. That was it! She had the perfect place in mind, now she just had to get Kuran to hold off a bit on his inquisition…

"Look, Kuran," she eventually bit out despite the pain in her throat – gods did Zero owe her one; this matchmaking shit was dangerous. "There's going to be a hunter party tonight. A bit of a reward for policing this thing, if you will. Everyone, Zero included, is going to be there." She looked at him bluntly, one hand gently messaging her neck where bruises left by his hand were likely already forming.

"I only ask that you go to talk to him there, where he won't be as on edge and there won't be as many nosy nobles around to turn him into the newest vampiric scape goat," she eventually grated out.

"You said Zero wasn't respected very much by the Association. Why would he be any more secure at this party of theirs?" the pureblood asked, incredulity heaving in his smooth voice.

Yori gave him an approving grin, comforted by his suspicion. _At least he isn't a sheep,_ she thought, somewhat happy despite the pain.

"Because, this party isn't hosted by the Association," she explained. "It's put together by the New Generation – that's pretty much any hunter under thirty – to all of whom Zero is hunter royalty. It's been that way since he took Rido down."

Kuran nodded slightly, "And you think Zero would prefer a meeting there rather than here?"

She returned his nod. "Zero's always easier to deal with when he isn't surrounded by vampires. Every hunter is."

Kuran let out a minuet sigh, seemingly resigning himself to her demands. Yori squirrelled away a smile. "And this party would be hosted at?" he prompted.

"An old warehouse in Nagasuki District, number 13. Make sure you keep your aura suppressed, and for the love of all, don't dress like a pureblood." She gave him her best innocent smile, which Kuran returned like a funhouse mirror.

"I'll do my best, Miss Wakaba," Kuran said, straightening his poncy suit jacket before heading once more to the French doors. "I don't suppose you have any other helpful advice before I go?" he asked, obviously not expecting her to answer after the last time she'd 'advised' him on anything.

"Yeah," Yori said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't fuck this up. Zero's hanging by a thread and I don't want to see you snap it."

Kuran kept his back to her but from her angle she could see his grip on the door's dainty little handle tighten. For a moment she wondered if he was going to throw her up against the wall again.

"I shall try my best, Miss Wakaba," he answered instead before shoving open the door and disappearing from her sight behind the curtain-covered glass.

Once he was gone, Yori sucked in a deep, painful breath and held it in a minute before letting it slip slowly between her teeth. She grimaced as she turned her back to the doors, resting her crossed arms and chest against the stone railing of the balcony so that almost half her upper body hung over the edge. Even the air tasted of that man.

Her fingers twitched with the need to play with something and suddenly she understood Yagari's need for cigarettes._If they could take away the tension in my shoulders too, then that would just be an added bonus_, she thought with a self-deprecating smile.

Instead she simply removed her anti-vampire fan and twirled it lazily between her fingers. _I wonder what I've just done,_ she thought, eyeing the deformed door handle Kuran had mangled in his annoyance.

This meeting with Kuran had confirmed just as much for Yori as it had for the aforementioned bastard. Kuran's feelings for Zero appeared, at least, to be protective; though she thought that perhaps things might grow violent between the two of them.

Zero was just _so_ damned stubborn and Kuran was obviously used to control, and they were both so broken. She couldn't help but wonder if, instead of healing each other like Kuran obviously hoped for and mates were supposed to, they might accidentally just ruin what was left of the other.

Sighing in dispassion at her morose thoughts, Yori straightened and arched her back, trying desperately to work the kinks from her tense muscles. Turning from the balcony she tried to judge if she'd waited a suitable amount of time for a meeting between herself and Kuran to be unlikely before deciding to wait a few minutes more.

Turning back to her previous mindset, she decided it didn't matter. If Kuran actually managed to prove that Zero was in safe hands with him then she'd be there to support them. And if Kuran really was a fucking bastard and hurt her best friend in any way possible, she'd be there to drive a good old fashioned stake through the bastard's black little heart. Either way, she'd be there.

Deciding that she'd finally let enough time go by, Yori carefully opened the balcony door and waltzed out. She appeared confident to the average alcohol-blitzed vampiric noble but really she was quite anxious to get to the nearest restroom and start treating the neat ring of bruises Kuran had gifted her with before they had a chance to become too annoyingly blatant.

After all, she thought as she began to dab an anti-bruising salve provided by the Association about her tender flesh, it would be bad if Zero found out that the man she was trying to help him admit to loving had given her bruises.

Her witty smile died on her face as another thought fluttered to the forefront as she applied another coat of salve; _gods and demons help that man if he ever leads Zero to doing something like this…_

* * *

**Yes, I know; no Zero this time either but this was an important chapter all the same, and look at how fast you got it in comparison to the other chapters! *Is amazingly proud of herself***

**Anyway, hope you liked it as much as I did. Talk to you all soon!**

**Also, mucho thanks to everyone who Reviewed, Altered or Favourited! You people are amazing! I love you all!**

**And much thanks also to the stunning SunaT.U, the most awesome beta ever! **

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	12. Club Politics

Music pounded about the large once-warehouse in a way akin to a pulse. Even from his hideaway in the VIP lounge – really just some extra-wide catwalks with glass floors, a privet bar, and leather couches – he could still feel the vibrations coursing through his skin.

Though, he supposed that could have been avoided if he hadn't decided to ditch the bar as well as social convention and sit with his legs dangling from between the safety rails. But that was beside the point, hm?

Withholding a sigh, Zero absently spun the amber alcohol he'd ordered around in its tumbler, ice cubes having long since melted between the tempting heat of the building and the warmth of his hand. He watched with detached fascination as the lights hanging from every conceivable perch twirled and changed color, turning the couple-hundred strong army of leather and spandex clad hunters below him into a withering, flashing crush of vibrant worshippers paying homage to the DJ with their twisting and twining bodies.

Usually when he was coaxed to one of these bashes Zero would join them; alcohol and boredom blitzing his self-awareness into submission and the darkness keeping away his newly founded fan club. He would sacrifice his stringent control for a few hours. The only thing keeping him grounded between his many shifting partners and the cacophony of music being the terrible ache in his body that, for a while, he could pretend was from the constant flow of movement.

For a few hours, he would give himself to the music and cut his strings to reality. For a few hours, he would just _be_.

It was something he liked to keep to himself (seeing as it would be bad if people knew there was a distinct time when he wasn't actually on guard) and so he let people assume he hated this club, _Vermillion_, named as such because 'Crimson' was too corny and '13' was too overplayed.

Thus far, no one outside of maybe his hunter team (that being Yagari, Yori, and Kaito) and probably Cross, seeing as anything Yagari knew Cross evidently did as well, had figured out his little system of mental checks and balances, something he was completely fine with.

The less people who knew your weaknesses, the less weaknesses you had and all that, Zero guessed would be his reasoning. He didn't often question the little rules his instincts gave him so long as they worked. So far, the one mentioned above had worked in a very charm-like way.

After all, he thought with a bitter tint, no one had managed to kill him yet, had they? And not for a lack of trying, either…

Letting out a soft breath Zero stole a smooth sip from his glass, trying desperately to let the ebb and flow of the club's atmosphere ease the tension from his body and his thoughts from his mind.

Unfortunately, his attempts seemed to be proving futile.

He could feel it in his bones that something was stirring. It was more than just his feelings towards his and Kuran's apparent fate, Yuki's drama, or how skittish Yori had been in the limo that was tipping him off. Though, at this rate, Zero thought that he might as well throw all of that into his hypothesis as well.

But no, the current thing aggravating his delicate sense for the scheming of others was the subtle tension lacing the upper-class patrons of Vermillion. A tension that, as an unwritten rule, was usually coat-checked at the door.

Several people, most all of them under forty and wearing top quality clothing, where gathered about at the bar, which could have been called ornate if not for the fact that it was made of glass. They were talking animatedly with each other, though the spells littered craftily about the VIP section kept everything quiet to anyone not invited to the conversation. Zero had been watching them since the beginning of the night as their discourse had waxed and waned and their actions (the suspicious looks cast over shoulders, the passion their muted bodies belayed they spoke with, and the anger with which they moved) all led him to assuming that they were up to something not particularly pretty.

This wasn't hugely unfamiliar for Vermillion, Zero allowed mentally. The club was owned entirely by a secretive collection of New Generation hunters who weren't overly fond of the Association and often encouraged criticisms on everything from how it was run to the traditions that were upheld within it. Usually though, these critics and debaters didn't carry out their discussions in such large groups or in such public places – they were rather paranoid that way, Zero thought – thus causing the level D to reassess his guess at what the point of their gathering was.

After all, for all he knew (without actually hearing them) half those people could be _defending_ the Association. It seemed that everyone had a passionate opinion on it recently.

It was funny in a way, Zero thought. It seemed that the Rido Incident and the subsequent slaughtering of the Vampire Senate had not only revealed the corruption of the vampire's world to their more common folk, but also given a spark to a lingering rebellious fire within the hunter world. Since it had all gone down, Zero couldn't count the number of debates he'd stumbled across on hunter forums or wandered into during his brief times spent in the backrooms of Vermillion. It seemed that things were revving up for something big; something that Zero's much-trusted instincts told him to be cautious of.

Absently Zero wondered if he should get up and go see what they were really talking about. After all, between worrying himself sick over the repercussions of his recent bit of hormonal stupidity with Kuran (if you could call it that) and just generally keeping the asshole out of his hair and his secrets, he'd pretty much lost touch completely with the political drama stewing in the hunter world. A world which he really should care a lot more about than he actually did, if his family history was to be believed.

So, with the newly added weight of ghostly ancestral eyes watching him in a way that may or may not have been influenced by a guilty conscience and alcohol, Zero decided that yes, he probably should go and see what all the fuss was about.

With purpose that had eluded him since Yori, Kaito, and Yagari had ditched him at the bar in exchange for the dance floor and a cigarette break respectively, Zero downed the rest of his drink in one swift movement and pulled himself up from his place in the shadows. Making to approach the group with even steps, Zero found himself stopped nearly chest-to-chest by one of the serving girls who regularly prowled the area, doling out drinks and flirting with anyone with a pretty enough face.

Once upon a time they had stalked him relentlessly every time he'd entered this part of the club, which was reserved for hunters with a vampiric kill rate of above two-hundred. Due to how they'd left him relatively alone for most of the night, Zero had hoped they'd finally given up on him, but apparently it was too much to wish for.

"Look," he started, intent on avoiding the girl before he found himself deciding to just vacate the building all together as he usually did after dodging one of their attempts. "I'm sorry but I'm really not interest—"

"Oh," the girl said, well, more _cooed_ really. "Oh, no! I'm not here for that," she said with a flirtatious grin and giggle, leaving Zero to raise an eyebrow at her. _Sure_ she wasn't.

The grin fell, leaving her with just a smile. "No seriously, I'm not. I'm just here to let you know you've got someone waiting for you in room 12 and," she reached into a smallish leather messenger bag at her side, retrieving a single rose wrapped in clear plastic. "That they've got great taste in flowers," she grinned again, handing him the peculiarly coloured flower with delicacy.

Zero blinked at it, willing away the light blush he felt trying to bloom across his cheeks with just some success. The flower was a purple shade in colour, a strange twilight-like variation that belayed its origins as a Blue Moon Rose, a flower often picked for its meaning of love-at-first-sight and enchantment.

A little known fact was that it was also the Kiryu House flower, and that it made a startling contrast when paired with the Kuran Red Rose, though he felt that was a story for another time.

"You mind giving me a hint at who's waiting for me?" Not that he didn't have a good idea of who it was on his own, but it had never hurt anyone to be sure of something. And if it turned out that it wasn't Kuran who sent the flower, well, he might as well drop by to warn the poor bastard to start running. In Zero's years of experience with the older Kuran, he had found that the man wasn't anything if not possessive of what he felt was his. Whether the object of that possession agreed with the pureblood was unimportant to the question.

The girl grinned again, lips coated in vermillion red (the only real uniform the club had, apparently) and eerily bright in the semi-darkness. "I didn't catch a name, but he was hot for sure. Dressed in black and with the strangest eyes I've ever seen in one of you hunters. Burgundy, I think. Do ya' think he's one of those contact fetish people?"

Zero choked on a laughed, making the girl grin again. Oh Gods, the next time Kuran pissed him off he was _so_ going to bring that up. Tamping down on his amusement for the moment, he gave the girl a teasing grin in return and her a short shrug that universally stood for 'maybe' before brushing past her, intent on finding out just what the fuck Kaname Kuran was doing in the one place anyone with real fangs would be stupid to tread in.

And yes, Zero was going to ignore that last thought's heaps of irony if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

From a darkened corner of the dance floor a pair of sunshiny-earth eyes watched with fading confusion as the reality of the events of the last few days – no, more like months, maybe even _years_ – came crashing down on her.

Contrary to popular belief, Yuki Kuran – once Cross – wasn't a _spectacularly_ stupid person. Yes, she liked pretty things and romantic endings, and yes, she did feel entitled to having those things for herself. But she also knew that there were little road blocks that one must come across; trials placed by fate to test your worth. Yuki's only real mistake, it seemed to her, was that she had believed that she'd already jumped all her hurdles and was now free to really enjoy life for once.

After all, she thought near-tearfully as she stomped away from the place she had just viewed her once-stepbrother meeting up with her fiancé from, if her new noble friends' sources were to be believed. Had she not stood against Rido with all she'd had? Had she not suffered under the guise of humanity, pathetic and frail, as to help her brother's schemes? And she had been so good through the transition back to vampirism, too! Always commanding and royal, never crying or tripping in public.

Why, just look at all the new nobles she had around her! Not even her dear Nii-sama had as many! But then his were all higher grade, she guessed, and eternally loyal… but a girl could only deal with what she had!

Yuki let out a sad sigh as she set herself daintily on one of the leather swivel stools that lined the beaten bar, pulling uncomfortably at the hem of her borrowed leather skirt. Gods, this place was so trashy! It only proved, in her opinion, that Kaname's decisions were becoming more and more hindered. Why else would he come skulking to a hunter club, of all places, to meet up with that disgusting level D?

He must be under one of those spells, Yuki thought with sudden certainty, the vampiric aura suppressors she was currently under giving her the inspiration for her hypothesis. That nasty little level D had placed one on her lovely Kaname-sama and was controlling him!

Yuki sobbed a little; yes, that must have been it! Oh, and she'd said all those bad things about her poor brother when really he was being manipulated… she felt so guilty! How could she lose faith in him like that? If he still had his own will, he never would have broken off their engagement!

Sucking in a harsh breath, Yuki decided that her temporary falter in her trust in Kaname would be forgiven when she saved him from the D. When all this was cleared up she would come clean to her beloved brother about her laps and surely, he'd forgive her and they'd be married by the week's end.

Yes, she thought, nodding quickly to herself and completely ignoring the slightly concerned look the rest of the bar's occupants were giving her. Her plan would work perfectly!

First though, she needed to speak with that hunter man who'd given her noble friends the tip about what was happening at the club. She hadn't wanted to believe it at first, thinking that he was just trying to manipulate her like Kaname-sama had warned her about before the D had entranced him, but now she was sure he was being honest. And he'd already agreed to help her get rid of the D! Everything was working out beautifully!

Getting up from her seat at the bar, Yuki walked purposefully from the club, mind spinning with ideas of how to save her Kaname-sama and a desperate need for a bubble bath filling her to the core. After all, how else was she to save her love if she looked like one of the dirty whores controlling him?

Her mind obsessed with images of dramatic rescues and gemstone-ridden ball gowns, she completely missed the pale face her ex-best friend and now accomplished hunter sported from her place at the very end of the bar Yuki had just vacated.

Little did Yuki know how badly that lapse of guard would bite her in the future.

* * *

Yori cursed to herself as she watched Yuki leave, knowing full-well that the brown-haired vampiress had seen Zero enter the back room. And from the look on the pureblood's face, she also knew who was waiting there for him.

Downing her shot in a sharp motion, Yori grabbed her bag and left her seat with a few crumpled bills on the bar the only evidence of her being there at all. Walking with short steps she fished around in her bag until she had her phone and sent off a quick little text detailing what she'd seen to the number one of the older Kuran's cronies had slipped to her just before she'd left the soirée. The message on the back of the paper the number had been written on gave her directions to use it whenever she had "delicate information" regarding Zero.

Was it just her, or was she starting to act like a 1950's Cold War spy?

Shaking off the random thought she stuffed the phone back into her bag and nervously wondered what else she could do. Adrenaline ran through her blood like a drug and was cooking up all kinds of ideas, though thankfully it didn't affect her enough to completely fuck her rational judgment over.

Even if she did try to do something like follow Yuki, what was the point? Yori couldn't exactly interrogate the 'Pureblood Princess' for information. Even though she didn't have any respect for the actual girl, Yori still knew that if Yuki got pissed enough, the spoiled brat could probably do some real damage with her powers, as unharnessed as they were. Yori herself still wasn't even a fully trained hunter yet, despite being a rising star in the Association. There was no way she could take on a pureblood, let alone a fledgling with no control.

She couldn't even turn for help to any of her hunter teammates, Yori realized with a start, as that might make the older, and far more dangerous Kuran sibling, who obviously didn't want his mating with Zero getting out and had no problems harming those who annoyed him, mad.

Smothering a depraved little laugh at the mess she'd gotten herself in the middle of, Yori stopped one of the attendants with an order for a drink and settled herself on one of the conveniently placed vermilion red leather couches that lined three sides of the dance floor as she relegated herself to waiting for the other side to make the next move.

Gods, she thought with resentment as the hunky male attendant handed her a brightly-coloured martini, she really _hated_ chess.

* * *

**Bonjour, my lovely readers! I hope you're all pleased with this chapter and look there! On the horizon there be more hints of a plot! Yippee!**

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**Hope to hear from you all soon!**

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**BlackRoseGirl666**


	13. Click or Crack

Kaname watched the prettily-carved (and heavily magic-laden) door of Private Room 12 with predatory eyes. The crystal tumbler in his hand was under heavy pressure from his clenched fingers as the disguised pureblood strove to keep himself from storming out of the unexpectedly elegant room with the intent to rip the thrumming club to pieces until his tricky little mate was safe in his arms.

_Honestly_, Kaname thought, a growl low in his throat as he paced before the door, _this is ridiculous!_

Why he'd followed that little girl's (_Yori's_, a voice oddly like Zero's snapped in his mind) words was beyond him. Sure, he guessed she might know Zero somewhat better than he did (_no, he was not underplaying that, not at all!_), but it wasn't like she had any _other_ experience with the world! Gods, he was stupid. He should have just followed his instincts and retrieved Zero at the soirée, consequences be damned.

_At least then I wouldn't be __**here**_, Kaname thought, thoroughly displeased with the entire scenario.

Yes, the 'private room', as the serving girl had called it (with a saucy little smirk and wink, to boot), was nice enough – done all in tones of red and practically _bleeding_ luxury – but the privacy spells placed around it to keep the noise of the club out and the noise of the room in were driving him spare with paranoia.

Where was Zero? Why wasn't he here yet? Had Kaname made a bigger mistake than he'd thought when he'd agreed to confront him here? Thoughts like those chased each other around his head at light speed, each backed by a more horrific fear or worry than the last.

The memory of Yori's words on Zero's predicament within the Hunter Association did absolutely nothing to calm him, either. The mere thought of his love, so terribly young, being executed over the hell wrought by Shizuka… it made Kaname wish he'd tortured the bitch before ripping her crazy, blackened heart from her chest.

It was strange, Kaname thought, pausing in his pacing and resting his weight against a conveniently located wall. He felt too jumpy to sit. According to Yori, the hunter world was filled with just as much fear and distasteful tradition as his own vampiric one was. When considering that Zero had been born into that kind of world, raised in it for eleven years, and then been nearly killed by it, why was it so much of a surprise that he acted the way he did?

Rage ignited in his heart, sparked by his terror at what could have happened to Zero if those variables Yori had listed hadn't come into play. How could he have let things happen like this? Why hadn't he realized the truth sooner? Could it have really been the fault of that strange seal on Zero's hip?

During his brooding Kaname's grip on his glass must have tightened, as the thing to draw him from his thoughts was the shattering of it. Shards sprinkled over the plush, black carpet like bits of sharp glitter.

Kaname sighed in exhaustion, regarding the shards – evidence of his lack of control – with mild disgust as he absently wiped his alcohol covered hand on the back of his pants. He suddenly felt too tired for words.

Flopping down as elegantly as one could in black jeans and a trench coat (standard hunter dress, according to Takuma, one of the few nobles he'd rallied into helping him plan this), Kaname mentally berated himself for getting so worked up. He'd already lost it once that night, the pureblood thought bitterly, guilty as the memory of what he'd done to Sayori circled his mind. The last thing he wanted was to lose it again.

Not that he could really be blamed, the vampire mused lightly. His eyes focused idly on the way the room's candlelight played off the broken glass at his feet. He was in love after all, the pureblood thought slightly disbelievingly. It was said everyone went a little crazy when that happened; let alone those already tittering on the brink.

Zoning in on the brighter part of that logic – the notion that he was in love, not that his sanity was decaying even more because of it – Kaname allowed himself a small, secretive smile.

Love was something he'd cordoned off in his mind a long time ago. It had become a thing, a _goal_, to look at and strive for but never to think on or touch. Even during the time he'd spent devoted to Yuki it had only ever been an objective, never a companion. He'd rationalized late at night, when his thoughts were focused on next steps and future checkmates rather than the girl he was meant to love, that it would all come in time. That once he had her, it would all click.

Now though, he found the subject wiggling its way into his mind more and more every minute, in shades of silver and purple and to the sound and feeling of growls and glares. Zero wasn't his quite yet, he'd admit reluctantly, but already Kaname was consumed by him in a way he'd fantasized of but never quite experienced with Yuki.

Instead of worrying over his plots and plans in those seemingly ever-lasting moments of time when he was left to himself, he thought of what life would be like _after_ all the plotting and planning was done. He wondered if Zero would decide to move into the Moon Dorms, what the hunter would think of Kuran Manor, if he'd want to have a traditional hunter wedding or to just elope, or if Zero would take Kaname's last name – things that had never even crossed his mind with Yuki.

It was an amazing, heart-stopping feeling.

_Oh, dear Gods, don't let him fuck it up!_

Pulling a deep breath into his lungs, the pureblood absently pushed away the new tumbler he'd been contemplating filling, the will to drink vanishing as thoughts of what would happen if his scheming failed swarmed his imagination. The outcome he came up with was too bleak to consider.

Years of solitude in a darkened Kuran Manor, continuously wondering why everything had gone to shit as he wasted away. This, of course, only coming to pass only on the assumption that he wouldn't just do away with himself, as vampires who'd spent as long as he had alone were wont to do.

Zero was Kaname's last chance at life. The pureblood had admitted this to himself what felt like ages ago, one dismal day before his return to Cross Academy. Without the silverette, the one who'd enthralled him without Kaname even realizing it, the pureblood just might give into insanity's touch, uncaring of Yuki's good intentions and bad habits or what might befall the nobles he'd abandon in his madness.

Beautiful and bitter, Zero was Kaname's hope. For ruin or rapture, they were bound. And Kaname was willing to do _anything_ to keep it that way.

As for how Zero would feel about it, well… Kaname was sure he could make his mate happy with time. Perhaps not immediately (Zero was so _stubborn_), but eventually he would be happy. Kaname wouldn't rest until he was. He would figure out what was harassing the level D, what was causing his pain (both emotional and physical), and he would get rid of it. He would make sure Zero's sanity didn't slip (and wasn't _that_ an ironic concept).

He would make sure no one, be they vampire or hunter, so much as laid a _finger_ on his mate. They would be happy together, at peace and far from the hell that was politics. All he had to do was get Zero away from it all and explain everything properly. Then it would all fall into place.

Then it would _click_.

And if not then, well, Kaname supposed he'd just have to learn to live with cut up fingers as he did his damnedest to put it all together by hand, regardless of sharp shards and burning violet flames that were bound to ensue.

* * *

Zero wouldn't let himself admit it, but it wasn't the need to calm his rising anger and indignation that kept him outside the outwardly plain, black door of Privet Room 12. Rather, it was a deep weariness in his bones that kept him standing there, a sick feeling rising in his chest at the thought of having to act mean and angry when all he really wanted to do was fall asleep.

The fact that his preferred place to do that sleeping was in Kaname Kuran's arms was a secret Zero kept even from himself. And, when that little thought surfaced (as those annoying inner desires are known to do), Zero simply blamed it on his sleep deprivation. The electric clock hanging over the common floor bar had told him it was breaching five in the morning when he'd caught a glance at it on his way down from the VIP section. Zero had been having even worse problems sleeping than usual lately – thus his tiredness – which led to his crazy thoughts, _obviously_.

Of course, the root problem of that scenario (that being his lack of sleep) could be easily blamed on his most recent emotional upheaval (i.e. sleeping with Kuran), thus giving him a _whole new_ reason to rip the other vampire's head off (as well as his own. Gods, he'd been _stupid_ that night).

That is, if the thought of harming Kuran hadn't become enough to make him feel physically ill.

Zero sighed, glaring his self-disgust through the door in front of him. Gods, he was a mess; and an emotional, sappy mess, at that. His ancestors would be rolling in their graves, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Unfortunately, the above statement was the truth of the matter.

As much as he hated it, he didn't want to hurt Kuran. That was the basics of his current predicament. He hadn't ever really wanted to, actually. It had just seemed like the appropriate reaction to the situation he'd been thrown into. He'd been taught the dangers and horrors of vampires since he was small. His family had been decimated by one, and then one had started creeping around Yuki, one of his few close friends. Of course it would make sense for the traumatized little kid to strike out at the physicalized representation of his darkest fears, and if that carried over to the rest of his life as he got older then, well, that poor dear, perhaps he just needed a hug.

Zero snorted. No one had bothered to look any deeper than that, as the story had already been so tragic and convoluted it had made fabulous gossip right off the bat. His reactions had made sense, and only those who'd known the real story behind his family had any suspicions.

In short, hating Kuran had just been a particularly easy act for him. The bastard had even gathered some genuine disgust in Zero's heart, what with the fucker's scheming and other heinous fuckery, thus leaving Zero with someone he could be nasty to without having to feel guilty.

And then he had left, taking Yuki with him and leaving Zero to be swallowed up by pain and emptiness.

It had been hard those first few weeks. So hard, that Zero had dropped all pretenses of anger and hate at the vampire world and simply thrown himself into rebuilding the school. He'd done whatever was needed, from clearing rubble to helping Cross pick new professors to replace the ones who refused to come back. He'd even helped the headmaster ward the place with some particularly arcane magic that had been kept such a secret within the Kiryu Clan that Cross had thought Zero had confused something until the younger hunter had brought him the book explaining it one morning.

What all of this could be summed up to was that Zero had simply worked himself so hard that he hadn't realized he'd been missing emotions until the dust had settled some weeks after the actual event.

The pain hadn't been so bad back then either, just a little sting. Time had progressed, though, and the pain and emotionlessness had gotten worse, to the point where life was just reaching unbearable.

And _then,_ Kaname had come back.

_And I_, Zero thought with no little bitterness, _got caught up in all _this_ shit._

Mate to a pureblood who he'd played at hating for years, heir to a clan too necessary to let die off, haunted by memories and present events alike and still sane enough to recognize it all. What could life throw at him next?

Zero didn't want to wait around to find out. After chasing off Kuran he planned on heading back to his relatively drama-free dorm and trying to get some much needed sleep. In the morning he'd probably have to deal with Yori, Yagari, and Kaito all being pissed at him for ditching them on top of acting his typical moody self, but oh well. It was just another day in the left, right?

With a sigh Zero turned the handle, face set in a scowl for the ages in preparation to face Kuran and give him a tongue lashing from Hell, despite the fact that the memories of his feelings during their last encounter kept him from feeling as angry as he wanted.

Little did he know that he shouldn't have tried in the first place, as any and all anger he'd managed to amass slithered away between his fingers once his eyes fell upon the pureblood.

Kaname had always been a handsome man in Zero's book; in the unsettling, predatory way most vampires couldn't _quite_ pull off without being creepy. With hair the colour of burnt hazel nuts and soft as silk to the touch, eyes like red wine and chocolate sauce, and beautifully (_devilishly_) defined features, it was impossible for him not to be.

Here though, free from the ridged white of the Moon Dorms or one of his many other more formal attires, shaded into colour by burning candles and accented by shadows, he was something intoxicating.

Unfortunately, he was also fucking _fast_. The door had barely slipped shut behind the silverette before the pureblood had him pressed up against one of the red walls, his hot mouth claiming Zero's with a borderline painful passion.

Moaning due to nothing but the fact that Kuran's lips were just _that_ talented, Zero helplessly looped an arm around the taller man's neck, the rose (which he'd been cradling ever so carefully) falling to the carpet in his unconscious effort to hold the pureblood closer.

_This is not supposed to be happening!_ One of Zero's still functioning brain cells cried, only to be silenced by the ones under Kaname's hypnotic spell. The pureblood let out a possessive, contented sound as he finally let his lips slip from Zero's, giving the hunter just enough time to steal a breath of air before Kaname's wicked lips found a new target on Zero's elegant throat.

"Kaname!" Zero whimpered, forgetting to check himself in the face of the pureblood's assault.

Said vampire chuckled softly, the laughter ghosting teasingly against the hunter's sensitive flesh. "If you missed me this badly, Zero," the pureblood gave a quick nip, surely leaving behind a mark on the hunter's neck, "then you shouldn't have avoided me so," he chastised softly.

Zero groaned, head thumping back against the red, _red_ wall as the pureblood continued with his 'punishment.' It was up for debate whether the action was one of repentance or just done out of frustration at his failure to keep Kaname's hands off him for more than a second.

"So what," the hunter gasped out, getting a little of his snark back the moment Kaname switched focus from teasing him to pulling at the buttons of the jacket Kaito had thrown on him in preparation for a night of clubbing. "I was just supposed to waltz up to you in front of all your little puppets?"

"I'm sure you could have found a more discreet way to get the same results," the pureblood answered coolly in the face of Zero's mounting glare, his hands stilling midway down the row of silvery snaps keeping Zero's T-shirt covered chest from showing.

The hunter snorted softly, derisively. "Why do you want me to be 'discreet' about it?" His violet eyes flicked to look up at Kaname's bloody-chocolate through his moonlight lashes. "Scared I'd fuck up some scheme of yours?"

The Kuran Prince sighed, "Why must you assume there's always a scheme involved?"

There was silence for a moment, a tense one filled only by the exchange of breath. "Because," Zero answered at length, "isn't there always one with you?"

Kaname released him like Zero's skin burned his, leaving the hunter to stand under his own weight for the first time since entering the room. "Obviously," the pureblood replied, "you don't know me as well as you think."

Zero's answering laughter was bitter as he wiped Kaname's kisses off on the sleeve of his partially undone jacket, hoping to gather some dignity while he was at it. "Well, of course not, you prick," the hunter murmured, barely loud enough for Kaname to hear. "When was someone supposed to drop the hint that I'd need to?"

The brunette gave him what could have been a pained look, leading Zero to think that perhaps he should tone his barbs down a notch, but the expression was gone soon enough that it didn't really do too much to appeal to the side of the hunter that wanted Kaname happy. Especially seeing that the side of Zero that was still so hurt by the pureblood's actions was still so large.

"Perhaps," Kaname said tactfully, and maybe, if he wanted to be honest, a little cautiously. He didn't quite like the way the hunter's gaze was focused so far away. It made him nervous. "It would be better if we talked things out before we go any further?"

Another mirthless chuckle slipped through the air, the sorrowful sound needling Kaname's instinct to protect into action though he stomped it down. At this point, approaching Zero might be detrimental to the future of their relationship. Like a trapped animal, the hunter didn't look like he quite knew if he wanted to attack or just lie down and not get up again. The dark rings around his icy eyes did little to dissuade the comparison.

How had he not noticed those before? Kaname thought, perplexed and a little angry with himself. Had he really been so lustful that he'd failed to notice Zero's discomfort? Perhaps he was as shitty of a mate as Zero's remarks alluded to.

Before his thoughts could get any more depressive, his subject of inspiration for said thoughts decided to raise his voice, hollow though it was.

"Sure, Kuran," Zero said, settling himself in the comfortable armchair opposite Kaname, a kind of 'seen-it-all' stoniness replacing (perhaps just hiding?) the fragility the pureblood had spotted earlier. "Let's talk this out."

Absently, Kaname wondered if the 'click' he'd been waiting for would wind up being the 'crack' he'd feared all along. He supposed it depended if his plan worked out as expected.

The eldest Kuran sibling blew out a long sigh. It always came down to his plans, didn't it?

* * *

**Would you all hate me if I told you this was supposed to be out three days ago? If so, you can blame my math and science teachers. Bloody ridiculous of them to give me so much homework when I had fanfiction to write, if you ask me ;)**

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**BlackRoseGirl666**

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	14. New Game

Cold leeched in through the glass of Zero's dorm room window with a single-minded intent, though the silverette in question couldn't quite bring himself to care. He'd long ago become too lulled by the rain for the vaguely numb sensation spreading from where his face touched the glass to matter much.

Dressed in the clichéd clothes of semi-depressed – a large, shapeless, long-sleeved T-shirt and drawstring jogging pants in an uncaring shade of grey, his feet and hands bare and chilled to the point of comfort – he made the perfect picture of an introspective youth.

5am had come and gone, shifting into its parallel in a storm of easily completed homework and extra credit assignments, leaving Zero with little to do but think. He'd entertained the idea of going to see Lily, something he hadn't felt good enough to do in a while, in an attempt to stall his inevitable brooding, but after the whirlwind of homework and a dismal shift in the weather he'd found himself feeling oddly lethargic once again. Apparently the exhaustion-induced coma he'd slipped into after returning from the club during the early-morning blue hours Friday the 24th hadn't been enough.

_Oh, the club_, Zero thought ruefully; now that brought back memories worth brooding about.

_Goddamn Kuran and his fucking plans; bastard wouldn't know honesty if it slapped him in the face, _Zero thought petulantly, violet eyes sweeping across his room to his bedside table. Sitting there innocently in a slim, crystal vase was the rose Kuran had given him. The flower had been retrieved and healed of any damage inflicted upon it by the pureblood's magic at the end of their 'discussion', possibly as an allusion to what their 'agreement' had insured was to come.

Zero liked to think he hadn't just tossed the thing because of the emotions brought on by the bond, or because he was a rational person at heart and he knew insulting his 'future mate' would be a bad way to start off this new arrangement of theirs. If he'd wanted to be truthful (something he desired to be less and less as of late), he would have admitted that he'd kept the flower because once upon a time purple roses had run rampant over the Kiryu Manor and he was a sentimental goof.

And if he'd wanted to look below the surface of that last thought, he might have even found that he hadn't tossed the flower because, even if Kuran hadn't known about its history, he was still just a little touched that the pureblood had thought to give it to him.

It was truly amazing what could be stirred up by something as simple as a flower, wasn't it?

With a small, bitter smile Zero looked away from the vase – something he hadn't even remembered owning until he'd needed it – and let his gaze flitter off over the woods at the back of the Sun Dorms. His room was a corner dorm on the top floor at the back of the building, it having been assigned to him after the Rido Incident as a bit of a jab by Cross about how much time he spent wandering the woods.

Of course, no one clued in to the secrets of Cross Academy missed that Zero's dorm was also the closest to the Headmaster's private abode, especially as the crow flew (or, perhaps, more fittingly, as the vampire ran/jumped), but Zero liked to pretend that that fact was neither here nor there.

Frowning, Zero dragged a hand through his disheveled hair, a sigh slipping past his somewhat chapped lips. His previous tiredness was beginning to melt into a kind of twitchy energy, especially as it got later in the day and closer to the designated time of his and Kuran's meeting. He needed to find something to kill a couple of hours with.

Swinging his legs down from where he'd curled them when he took his seat in the window box, Zero pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled off a couple of steps worth of pins and needles in his legs, and then collapsed rather seamlessly into his computer chair. Grabbing his phone from its place of abandonment atop his own personal leaning tower of newly completed homework (it was amazing how productive he was when he wanted to avoid something), he flipped the little thing on and read through his messages.

He was hoping Yori or Kaito had left him an amusing rant to reply to regarding the excuses he'd sent them to cover for his disappearance Thursday evening/Friday morning. He'd had close to thirty worried messages on his phone between the two of them when he'd return to consciousness sometime around 4:30 am, Saturday morning, so he was hoping for some fantastic replies to his weak explanation.

(Actually, most of those worried messages had been from Kaito, which had struck Zero as odd at the time because it was usually Yori who played mother hen when he didn't check in. Weirdly, he'd only gotten one from her sometime around late Friday night. He'd brushed it off, thinking that maybe she'd just been busy.)

Unfortunately, it had turned out all he'd gotten in reply was a frown-y face and a 'not cool, man' from Kaito and a 'good, K' from Yori. Cross had clogged his mailbox with overly-emotional responses to the 'I'm fine' Zero had sent him, but he wasn't desperate enough to actually send anything back to those besides a trip to the delete box. No distraction there, then.

Setting the phone down on his desk, Zero checked the time, finding it half past five. He winced; he was supposed to be meeting up with Kuran at six thirty for this little experiment of theirs. Sighing, Zero pushed himself away from the desk and stood. Flipping open his laptop he hit and clicked a few keys and buttons and after scrolling through some hundred playlists he'd mixed, Zero picked one with a particularly harsh tone and let it play. Half a second later a fast, bone-shattering drum solo broke free from the speakers, the chaotic sound soothing away some of the silverette's tension.

The music successfully beating his doubtful inner voice into submission, Zero went over to his closet and started the daunting task of trying to figure out what to wear. Unlike their last two meetings, which had been both very touchy, tense, and spontaneous, Kuran (who he should really start referring to as Kaname, Zero mused) had stressed that this – experiment, let's call it – was to be well, casual. And normal. Kuran had gone so far as to call it 'hanging-out', which had been admittedly fun to watch Ku – _Kaname_, dammit – say.

But for all the fun it had been watching the imperious and rather up-tight Kaname Kuran describe what was essentially a casual coffee type-thing, it left Zero with an issue. See, Zero didn't have a particularly large social life – besides Yori, Kaito, Yagari and their occasional trips to Vermillion, he didn't really have one at all. This left him with little to no experience with how one would conduct such meeting, nor how you would dress for one.

Turning on his heel, Zero went into the bathroom and started up the shower, the sound of rage-filled music following him. He'd figure out what to do about conduct and appearances in a bit. Besides, if he really fucked it up then whatever; it wasn't like he hadn't survived worse with his pride intact.

And besides, he'd been past the place Kaname had suggest they meet up at; it was hipster-casual personified. In fact, Zero's loner/bad boy pride would have protested setting foot in the place if not for the fact that there was ample parking surrounding it, which meant Zero would be able to take his own motorcycle to get there. Zero rarely ever passed up a chance to ride his second-most prized possession.

Shedding his clothes and stepping into the spray was probably the best feeling Zero had experienced in the last few days, seeing as he wouldn't let himself count the feeling of Kaname's kisses nor the pureblood's caring caresses. Even though he hadn't felt any of the usual symptoms he'd come to expect along with living and being a Kiryu since meeting up with Kuran (and he was almost scared to confirm his theory on why that was), meetings with the pureblood still came with tension and stress that he hadn't gotten a chance to try and wash away due to his falling asleep as soon as he'd spotted his bed.

Now though, he could feel the last of the tension leave his mind; something that was rather ironically timed, as he was due to meet the bastard in not even an hour.

Laughing a little to himself at the absurd way his life worked, Zero got out of the shower and went through the menial tasks one dealt with when preparing to face the world after hiding away for around two days. That done, he went to go battle his closet, cursing Kuran and his own lack of fashion sense the whole time.

And if all of that cursing and growling were merely a front to hide his nerves and perhaps, even excitement, well, you wouldn't catch him saying it.

* * *

Kaname watched as Seiren unpacked the newly de-spelled books Aidou had fetched from the Hunter Association with hidden interest, a glass of red wine in hand. He'd sent her with the mission just after leaving the club, which he'd done only after he'd calmed himself down from the rage he'd felt when he'd seen Zero get a ride home on the back of a motorcycle with some hunter or another. Thankfully, the memories of the kisses they'd shared in Privet Room 12 and Zero's agreement to join him for coffee had kept him from doing anything regrettable.

"Kaname-sama, is this all you need?" The female vampire asked. Kaname nodded once in response but didn't send her away immediately.

"Did you happen to retrieve a copy of which spells they pulled from the books, Seiren?" Kaname Kuran was not a man who enjoyed not knowing things, and the spells that had been cast on those books had been quite alien to him. His paranoia as well as his curiosity demanded more information.

Seiren gave a slight nod and pulled a sheaf of papers from the smart over-the-shoulder bag she wore.

"I had a feeling you would be interested so I got Muryuki-san to give a basic description and approximate age of each spell. Muryuki-san also encourages you to contact him if you need any further information." The way she said the last bit and the glimmer in her usually flat silver eyes belayed how much of an ass-kisser she thought 'Muryuki-san' was. Kaname was inclined to agree with her, but Muryuki was easily the most capable of Kaname's pseudo-court with hunter spells and his greed kept him deep in Kaname's pocket.

Resisting the urge to quirk an eyebrow at the sizable number of papers – each covered in precise black ink; whether it be via diagram or word – Kaname was just about dismiss his body guard/assistant when Seiren's cool voice broke the soft silence that had descended on the room.

"Kaname-sama…" She didn't sound like she usually did. She sounded unsure, cautious; much more so than her usual blank tone would allow. Kaname gave her what passed for an encouraging smile.

"It's just – those books were very dangerous. I watched while Muryuki de-spelled them; some would seem completely normal and then you'd turn to a certain page and be electrocuted. They're safe now, but… please be careful, Kaname-sama."

Kaname nodded and gave her a reassuring smile but mentally took her warning to heart. Seiren wasn't one for displays of emotion and she was easily the least shakable of his inner circle; exactly why he trusted her with such sensitive assignments. It was also why he trusted her word above all except Takuma's. If she cautioned him to be wary, then he'd give it some consideration.

"Is that all, Seiren?" The mostly-recognized King of Vampires asked; focus already drifting to the books atop his desk as though they held all the answers he would ever need.

Or more questions, Kaname thought ruefully, as seemed to be the case when dealing with his tricky little mate. Kaname already had several circulating his mind, such as just how old Zero's family really was to have connections to the Monarchy times and how the Kiryu Clan had become so close to the Kuran Clan that they'd be mentioned in personal diaries, yet not in official records…

Those questions also brought him back to something Miss Wakaba had said during their discussion, about how if the Kiryu family hadn't been so integral to the Association, Zero would have been killed. What was it that made the Kiryus so crucially important to the Association? Yes, they were powerful, but Kaname couldn't remember the family ever being terribly political as of recent, nor did he think they were they insanely rich or influential. He couldn't figure it out and that led him to putting all his hope in those journals.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Seiren politely clearing her throat.

"Actually, Kaname-sama, Takuma-san asked me to enquire if you were planning on hosting a Samhain celebration this year." Seiren stated promptly. Kaname blinked owlishly at the question, a little shocked at how out of the blue it was, before slipping his mask back into place.

"Takuma knows I detest those events…" Kaname stated bluntly, figuring it would sound better than asking if his second-in-command had been hit on the head recently.

Though knowing Takuma, this could merely be an idea sparked from one of those blasted manga he insisted on reading constantly. Kaname restrained a smile at the idea.

Seiren's lips twitched, giving away how amused she was by Kaname's reaction. Said pureblood merely narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yes, my lord, we are all aware of that but in light of, ah – _recent events – _throwing a ball would show that you are not as affected by them as the rumors may suggest." Seiren stated coolly, the 'events' she was referring to obviously being his break up with Yuki. "It would also open up new opportunities for you to meet with those remaining influential families who main side against or in neutrality to you." The 'something you seem to have forgotten about' wasn't said but it was present, as was the curiosity as to why he wasn't focusing as much on politics as he had been up until a month ago.

Sighing inwardly Kaname nodded, showing his agreement while his mind worked to find a way to bend the aspects involved with a ball to his will. Perhaps, if he got Zero to agree, he could use this event as a way to introduce himself and Zero as mates to the vampiric public. The timing was perfect, both giving him enough time to show respect towards Yuki and to lend himself validation for dumping her so suddenly. Samhain was also a strong magical occasion for vampires, one that was only contested by the winter solstice. Revealing his and Zero's relationship then would also endear the both of them to the more traditionalistic vampires, something they'd need to do as Zero's hunter/former-human status would clash with the ideals of many of that faction.

Nodding to himself Kaname checked the time, finding himself caught somewhere between annoyance and excitement when he saw he only had half an hour to go before he was supposed to meet up with said hunter for their date, which had been Kaname's rebuttal to Zero's point of not knowing each other. After all, if it worked for humans, why not vampires?

He absently glanced at the books, sitting in tall, untouched piles on his desk. He'd been hoping to crack into them before meeting with Zero but that apparently wasn't going to happen…

With a mental sigh the pureblood turned back to Seiren, a list of for-sure orders having accumulated in his head.

"I need you to contact the caterers, decorators, musicians, and Hunter Association Security Board. Have the first three ready to meet with me sometime around six pm, Friday night and apply for a hunter security team at the last. Also contact the staff at Kuran Manor and inform them that a Samhain ball will take place there on the 31st of October." There were a hundred other things to do, from invitations to costumes (a tradition going back thousands of years), but the ones he'd listed were the most important at the moment.

Seiren nodded, her eidetic memory making sure she didn't need to take notes. Satisfied, Kaname pulled himself from his desk chair and went over to the exquisite chessboard set up on a table for two by the main window. Casually, he began moving the pieces back to their starting positions in preparation for a new game.

"Is that all, Kaname-sama?" Seiren asked a moment later, parroting back his earlier question.

Kaname paused in his moving of the pieces for a moment, his finger resting absently on a white pawn.

It would be best to inform his court about Zero sooner rather than later, Kaname thought, as he considered giving the order for Seiren to spread around the news of a meeting to his inner circle, at the least. He certainly couldn't inform them at the ball amongst the rest of the rabble, not without them taking it as an insult. Besides, Takuma, Senri, and a few possible others already knew. There would be little risk in filling in the rest of them.

But then there was Yuki to consider, her and the troop of lower class gentry she was gathering about her like flies to rotten fruit. He didn't particularly want to inform her in a gathering where she had a chance to make drama, but nor could he keep it a secret from her without the others thinking him cowardly. He didn't want to inform her ahead of time either, as that would make it seem like he was favoring her when the way she was acting made it look like she was intentionally working against him.

She was still his sister though, a voice in Kaname's head, perhaps his conscience, murmured. Even if she was acting like a spoiled child, he was the one who had woken that side in her. In part, she was his responsibility both for awakening her pureblood side _and_ due to that fact she was part of his House. He would need to deal with her before he did anything else.

This decided, Kaname let his hand fall away from the board and instead rest at his side. Turning back to Seiren he rattled off his additional orders, one eye on the clock. He didn't want to be late to meet Zero, after all.

"I need you gather my inner circle," he said after a moment. "Bring them here as soon as the sun goes down this Sunday and also I'd like you to inform Yuki to meet me at my office after classes Monday night."

Seiren nodded, "If they ask for the subject of the meetings?"

Kaname smirked, "If they ask for clarification, I suppose you can tell them it's in regard to the events of late, as you put it, Seiren. I trust you could make it sound better than I."

His assistant/bodyguard/spy/Jack-of-All-Trades blinked a moment before giving him a chilling grin.

"With pleasure, my lord. I'll get started on it right now, if you'll allow It." She stated, adjusting herself in preparation to leave. Kaname raised a hand for her to stay a moment later.

"One last thing." The pureblood said. "When you apply for a hunter security team, may I ask that you request that Team Yagari not be assigned?"

Seiren blinked once, suspicion slipping into her eyes before being quickly washed away by professionalism. "And if they need a reason to comply, my lord?"

With a kind of casual focus Kaname scooped up the white queen from the chest board, twirling it absently between his fingers.

"It would be annoying if four of my guests were unable to enjoy themselves because they were ordered to work the event, would it not? It would put quite the wrinkle in my plans for a nice night, especially if Zero were to be assigned." Kaname drawled, placing the piece back on the board and chuckling inwardly when Seiren's eyes widened microscopically in understanding.

"Indeed I imagine it would." She murmured. "And that will be all?"

Kaname gave her a wicked smirk, "For now? Yes, I think that will be quite enough."

Seiren nodded before pulling herself together and leaving quickly, her standard Night Class boots making no sound on the plush carpets of Kaname's office.

Smiling slightly at the way things seemed to be pulling themselves together, Kaname stepped away from the chessboard and busied himself with preparing for his and Zero's date, though he doubted his little hunter would think of it like that.

More likely, Kaname thought as he changed into something a little more date-worthy than a rumpled dress shirt and jeans – having already showered earlier – that Zero probably think of it as some kind of plot. Which, Kaname guessed, it had been originally, but he was going to ignore that fact.

He was determined not to think of any plots or plans while with Zero that night. He was going to focus solely on the hunter and hopefully get to know him better personally instead of, well, just as an enemy.

A few minutes later found him stepping into the luxurious interior of his private car, his chauffer pulling away from the curb the moment one of the Night Class's servants tugged the door shut. He didn't pay much attention to the stares he felt following the car as it left the dorms, seeing as someone was usually staring at him. But perhaps, he might have if he had noticed the burning jealousy in the watcher's gaze.

As it was, Kaname lived in ignorance of that fact; for how much longer, though, was debatable.

* * *

**And here I'd thought I was going to have trouble getting this chapter to three thousand words. Pshhh. More like I had trouble stopping at a balanced place.**

**Anyway, hope you all loved this as much as I love your Reviews! Thank you to **_**LuanRina, Guest, BlitzkriegGirl14, ben4kevin, MissHikaHaru**_** and everyone else who's Review since before I decided to get into the habit of listing the people I want to thank for Reviews!**

**Also thank you to all the Alerts/Favourites I get, you guys are awesome too!**

**And of course to my wonderful beta, thank you SunaT.U! **

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	15. Theory in Practice

The number of times Zero had cursed his beautiful motorcycle could be counted on one hand. Most of those had been listed during the time before he'd added a silencing charm to the bike, when the roar of the engine had accidentally warned his target of his arrival. That issue had been corrected though, and never again had he criticized his mechanical obsession.

This current problem, however, couldn't be fixed that easily.

Not that it was _really_ his bike's fault, Zero amended absently as he stirred his chai tea, a secret vice of his. It was just so wickedly fast that it had managed to get him to the café earlier than he'd thought. This meant that he was on time, with no Kuran in sight and nothing to do but wonder why the ever-punctual pureblood wasn't there.

Not that Zero would ever admit to _that_.

If you'd have asked him, the prefect would have said that his present irritability wasn't due to the question of if Kuran had stood him up or not bouncing around his head, but to the fact that it had started pouring halfway through his ride from Cross Academy and he was subsequently soaked. Or that the other patrons of the café wouldn't stop staring at him. Or that he'd been forced to ditch his leather jacket on the coat hook in an attempt to get dry.

And all of that, of course, would have only been mentioned after he'd bitched about how Kuran was now – Zero glanced covertly at the digital clock on his iPod – eight minutes late.

Which, really, was actually a pretty honest compliant – seeing that if Zero had had it his way, he'd have been _relieved _at the bastard's tardiness and not the littlest bit annoyed. Gods damn Kuran and his stupid blood bond, wrecking Zero's plots and whatnot.

Because it was _all_ the blood bond's fault, Zero thought in a self-deprecating tone, accompanied by the mental equivalent of a rather fabulous eye-roll, if he did say so himself.

Sighing, the silverette let the little wooden stir-stick lie still against the porcelain rim of his hipster-fied tea cup and lent back into the comfy, over-stuffed leather chair he'd commandeered. The area he'd staked out for his and Kuran – _Kaname's_ – meeting (one of the few perks of arriving early to the fight he'd found, was being able to pick the battlefield) lay in the upper corner of the shop, just before the storefront window took a chunk out of the wall. Zero had chosen the comfy chair nestled where the walls met mostly due to his ever-present paranoia and the fact that it was the closest seat to the happily roaring fireplace.

(He was still somewhat freezing from the impromptu-rainstorm, give him a break.)

A rainstorm that Zero hoped (?) wasn't going to be an omen for how this date (of sorts) was going to play out.

The silverette blinked as the thought passed by him, fingers itching to play with the stir-stick again but his ingrained consciousness for the consequences of body-tells stopping him. Could it be that he was actually becoming _invested_ in this little plan of Kaname's?

Judging by the fact he was sitting there still, waiting somewhat contently despite the bastard's tardiness, Zero guessed he could say he was.

Face caught in an expression somewhere between a scowl and a smile, Zero bit his lip and tried to pin down where exactly the bastard had begun to gain some kind of affection from him. The fact alone that the term 'bastard', when applied to Kaname Kuran, was becoming somewhat of a friendly nickname within the space of Zero's mind seemed to be proof enough that slowly, ever so slowly, his defenses were breaking down. It was the when and the where that Zero didn't seem to have any reasoning for.

How did being ambivalent to someone shift into hating their guts and being genuinely disgusted by them, and then melt into some kind of wary affection? The blood bond seemed to be the most likely answer, that it was tricking him into feeling things he wouldn't have had it not existed, but Zero could be practical (when it suited him). He knew that the bond had a limit to what it could induce. It was able to keep a pair from outright killing each other, it was able to connect them in ways otherwise impossible, if given a chance to grow – but it could not fabricate love.

The people the bond brought together were perfect for each other romantically in every possible way. It sounded ludicrous to the point of fantasy, but it had been tried and proven and eventually it had become a hard fact, even amongst hunters. Some philosophical types liked to think it was a tradeoff for a vampire's long lifespan offering more likelihood of going crazy from isolation – others, like Zero, liked to call it an expendable weakness.

The theory then stated that those two perfectly-matched people would fall in love due to just how well their chemistry worked and the wide-spread knowledge that this was their best chance at happiness. The theory, though, did not count variables like what one might have done to the other before the bond was recognized and so forth because in the theory, the bond was always been recognized _immediately_.

In short, the bond acted like the greatest dating service ever, finding the vampire in question the person they had the best chance at loving, ever. The natural draw between the pair, the mates, was supposed to be enough, after that, to outweigh any screw-ups between them, with little perks thrown in as the bond was strengthened by the emotions carried in their blood when it was exchanged.

So, if Zero hadn't cared for Kaname at all like the silverette had bloody well thought he had, all that would have been left for him to feel towards the pureblood was hate and perhaps some physical lust. He still wouldn't have been able to harm the older vampire physically – that was the one fail-safe the bond ensured – but he certainly wouldn't have _cared_ for him.

In _theory_.

Because even as Zero sat alone in that warm, bright little café, surrounded by the type of people he was usually amused by Kaito mocking, even as he remembered all the bad things the pureblood had brought down on him – he couldn't tell himself he hated the bastard. Hell, he couldn't even get himself to believe that if Kaname disappeared, he wouldn't miss the bastard.

_His_ bastard, it seemed.

Perhaps he was just getting tired of this, the silverette mused. His eyes were half-mast and he felt oddly content as the warmth from the fire chased the last of the cold from his fingers. The muted chatter of the seven or eight others in the café cast a nice back drop for his thoughts, which were keeping him from worrying too much over Kaname's late arrival (by a whole fifteen minutes, now).

Gingerly the amethyst-eyed hunter took a sip from the oversized-tea cup he'd had before him since he'd sat down, smiling a little at the mustache monogramed on the side. Setting it back down with a satisfied hum on the low-set coffee table, the hunter sent a vaguely considering look into the cup's depths.

Zero had been fighting battles for almost his whole life. Maybe this one, against Kuran and his own warring emotions – which both seemed like divine elements compared to the mere, mortal enemies Zero was used to – with no definable morals for his logic and pride to cling to and no one but himself depending on him to stave off the assault – was the war to break the walls of the isolated empire he'd built around his heart.

That or Zero was simply being terribly idealistic and falling for a man who would leave him more crushed than he currently was, his cynical side coughed from the corner of his mind. Zero swallowed a sardonic laugh with another draft of his chai tea.

What did he have to lose though, really? He hadn't been happy when Kaname had left, that was for sure. At least with the pureblood present and accounted for Zero's numb spells disappeared, along with the painful ones. And it wasn't like Kaname had done anything all that terrible; of recent, at least.

The silverette sighed, running a hand through his damp bangs. Not to mention that Zero really, really didn't want to see what the pureblood would do if Zero put his all into denying his advances. Thus far Kaname had only resorted to a little strong-arming and trickery to get his way – but the look in the pureblood's eyes when Kaname had, well, _claimed_ _him_, was the only real description for it, Zero guessed…

That look had told him that there was _very_ little the older vampire wouldn't do to have Zero.

Perhaps it would be wise to put more consideration into picking his battles, for the time being. Zero still wasn't willing to give up the secrets he'd spent so long hiding, especially when he was still so unsure of Kaname in general. But perhaps it wouldn't be a terrible idea to give the other vampire the in he was do obviously fishing for.

Besides, it wasn't like Zero was _opposed_ to being happy, which was what the purpose of the bond was, at its basics. He just hadn't believed it was a possibility. But, with the evidence building up the way it was… well, it seemed to be worth an attempt, at least.

Fortunately (or not, depending on your disposition), the classical jingle of a pair of bells sounded just then, heralding the arrival of one Kaname Kuran. Dressed as though he were the very definition of appeal, the pureblood made his way over confidently. His cherry-chocolate eyes lightened considerably once they'd spotted the prefect.

Forcing himself to relax from his initial tensing, the silverette smothered the instinct to smile with another sip of fortifying chai and regarded his potential (not yet, he wasn't that far gone _yet_) mate with a small nod.

Not to say that helped his blush when the pureblood grinned wickedly at him as the brunet went up to the counter, but he was allowed to ignore some things.

If he wasn't, Zero thought, eyes roaming un-commanded over the pureblood's tightly clad form, then he was going to have more issues with this 'experiment' of his than he'd first thought.

* * *

The aggravation he'd felt at being late and at life in general veritably melted off Kaname Kuran the second the older vampire laid eyes on his delectable little prefect. Granted, that could have been because he'd been sure his temperamental mate wouldn't have waited five minutes past their designated time, let alone fifteen or so. Zero's presence in the shop had become something of a pleasant surprise, but that was neither here nor there to the rather happy pureblood.

Zero looked so adorable, too, Kaname thought warmly as he absently gave his order to the barista, eyes barely leaving the silverette. The ex-human had nestled himself into the corner closest to the shop's exit (of course) and was watching Kaname over the edge of a rather funny looking mug. He offered a minute nod to the pureblood before purposely turning his face away, though Kaname couldn't help but notice the way Zero's violet eyes seemed to flick back to him more often than not.

Feeling amused and rather pleased by his mate's unexpectedly sociable mood (truth be told, Kaname had been preparing for some rather exceptional glares even _before_ he'd realized he was running late), the pureblood threw Zero one of his more flirtatious grins before paying the girl at the cash register and accepting his drink. He'd ordered a rather heavily caffeinated blend of tea that he'd been introduced to by Takuma, of all people.

Actually, the whole casual-café-meeting idea had been suggested to him by Takuma during that hectic section of time spent getting Kaname suited up and into Vermillion. The other vampire just seemed to be full of romantic advice (all of it having assumedly come from his copious amounts of manga) and Kaname's last somewhat-disastrous meeting with Zero had been enough to convince him that it was perhaps time to listen to his closest friend.

Thus here he was – now seated in the cushy chair opposite Zero – desperately trying to think of something to say that wouldn't sound ridiculously awkward.

And he was drawing a blank.

Lovely.

But really, what was he supposed to say? Neither of them were particularly social, nor overly chatty. Sure, Kaname could always bullshit something, but he usually tried to reserve that for annoying-come-useful nobles – not people he legitimately cared for.

And he really, really did care for Zero, despite not knowing him very well. He respected him, was amused by him, and found him challenging in a way no one had ever been to Kaname before. He found Zero's temper something to be wary of, yes, and his mate's dedication and loyalty to people who didn't matter was maddening, but even those flaws endeared the prefect to the other vampire.

Now if only he could find something to say that didn't have to do with any of their past experiences…

Kaname held back a sigh. Perhaps he _should_ have taken that list of ice breaker questions 'someone' (Takuma) had left in the shuttle car.

Absently he glanced around the shop, hoping to find some inspiration. It was a cacophony of classic and modern, dabbled with quotes and lyrics and shelves filled with books and knickknacks obviously not meant to be touched. It was when he spotted an old-looking leather-bound Atlas sitting primly on one such shelf that a safe-seeming topic jumped out at him.

"So…" Kaname drawled, drawing Zero's attention back from the window he'd been staring doggedly out of for the last ten minutes. "Have you traveled much?" the pureblood finished, perhaps a little lamely, if he were to be truthful.

The question had sounded better in his head, alright? Zero was distracting; Kaname didn't think he should be expected to sound smart in the silverette's presence.

As it was, Zero looked at him a moment, head tilted to the side, before a sharp crack of laughter split the air, leading Kaname to blink in surprise before smiling softly.

Zero's laugh here amongst the books and vague coffee smell that came with all such cafés was so different from the animalistic chuckle he'd let lose at Vermillion. It was still sharp and rough, as though it went unused for long periods of time, but there was something about it that made Kaname feel sad when it stopped.

Zero himself looked somewhat surprised he'd even produced it in the first place.

The level D quickly caught himself though and the next instant his eyebrow was curled into an expression of practiced incredulousness. Though if Kaname tried, he could still pick out the smile in his mate's smirk.

"I can't say I have," Zero said contemplatively after a beat, during which Kaname had silently gestured for him to answer the question. "I mostly stay close to the school, though sometimes the Association sends me out farther. Once I wound up in Kyoto, but that's the farthest I've been since I came to the school."

Kaname hummed, having figured pretty much the same thing. He was itching to ask about Zero's life before he came to the school, seeing as that was still largely blank to the pureblood. But he figured that would be about as 'unsafe' a subject as he could get.

"I mostly stay in Japan myself," Kaname said in return. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing Europe." Europe? Gods, he was a cancer to this conversation. Now Zero probably thought he was stuck up as well as a jerk.

Assuming he hadn't already, of course.

Zero's eyebrow arched higher, if anything. Kaname, for the first time in his life, found himself wishing turning invisible was a viable power for a vampire.

"I suppose England would be interesting," Zero said after a moment of awkward silence. "A couple of my favourite bands are from there."

Music? Music was something he could do, Kaname thought with great relief. If he hadn't thought Zero would protest he could have kissed the silverette right then for giving that little string of hope to their conversation.

"Oh? Which ones?" Kaname asked absently, finally feeling comfortable to take a sip of his tea. Music, he thought, he could handle.

"Muse and some of the older forefathers of rock," Zero replied before smirking at Kaname's blank look (he'd thought Zero had been talking classical!). "I don't suppose you've ever been to a rock concert then, hm?"

Not between his scheming and plotting, no; which he as much as told Zero, leading the silverette to grin at him in an honestly happy way. The conversation flowed nicely from there, with Kaname learning his mate played and held a fondness for electric guitar and Kaname revealing his ignorance of all things considered modern music. In all, the date was going nicely; so nicely in fact that Kaname found himself not wanting to mention his plans to reveal their bonding at the October ball he was planning lest it wreck the mood they'd created between them.

He would, Kaname swore, just not right now. This little truce of theirs was going so fabulously, and Zero was actually giving him a chance! He couldn't stand to wreck it by mentioning he was planning on doing something Zero might perceive as 'pushing'. Damn Takuma for putting the idea in Seiren's head (and thus the pureblood's).

Kaname stretched out his legs absently below the table, foot nudging Zero's on accident. The hunter paused in his speech and smiled without meaning too, flushing slightly before realizing his reaction and hurriedly getting back to what he was saying. Kaname laughed to himself and quietly noted that even while Zero was capable of willing away a blush on his cheeks his ears seemed to remain red to spite him.

_This is what I want_, the pureblood realized absently. No sneaking around, vampire-in-a-dark-castle, kisses-in-the-closet thing romance book immortalized on cheap paper. He wanted the ability to laugh with someone in public and the possibility of not being out and about and _alone _all the time. He wanted the reality of someone who wasn't ashamed or awed by being in his presence in the light of day… _that_ was what he had been searching for.

And he'd found it. Now all he had to do was keep it.

And if there was one thing he could do with competency, it was keep something.

* * *

**And chapter 15 is done, hallelujah! I Hope you all liked this and that it lived up to your expectations. I didn't realize this, but it seems that Zero's love for Kaname is going through a kind of Five-Stages-Of-Grief thing, with steps 2-4 getting muddled and 5 only coming on very slowly. It's an interesting idea, me thinks. Also, the conversation was probably the most awkward things I've ever written. Go figure.**

**Also, thank you to the fallowing for Reviews! You people rock: **Yuurei no Chu, KxZ fan girl, Miss HikaHaru, ben4kevin, mxanimefreak, matchynishi, Wildoll, BlitzkriegGirl14, Kags21, kaen307, Atkatsuki Fatale, cyhap, MissSexyRain,** and last but not least, **TwistedNoir**!**

**Thank you all so much! Reviews are my inspiration!**

**Anyway, thank SunaT.U for the editing and don't forget to Review!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRosegirl666**


	16. Same Coin

Fisting fine-boned hands in the rose-pink sheets of her luxurious bed, the vampiric princess of the Kuran family choked on a wail, the sound garbled through her many pillows. Little bits of colour danced in Yuki's vision with the force she used to keep her stinging eyes closed against what little light pushed through her thick drapes and her face felt uncomfortable against the growing dampness of the fabrics cocooning her.

Darkness was the most pressing feature of Yuki's room at that moment, though not for the sun's lack of trying. Outside the expansive white-trim windows, sharp, late-September light reigned over the neo-gothic buildings, courtyards, forests, and gardens of Cross Academy. A bone-chilling wind reminded everyone outside the imposing walls of one of the campus's many buildings that it was just barely two days until October first, causing Day Class students to rush in waves to where they needed to be, if not to avoid tardiness than to avoid the sudden cold.

But Yuki Kuran, swathed in the latest of her tragedies, couldn't find it in her aching heart to care.

Chocolate locks of hair lay about her head and shoulders in matted tangles, whilst her white Night Class uniform bunched and wrinkled uncomfortably against her skin. Snot, tears, and sweat mingled on her pale, petite body; misery producing it all and 'it all' contributing to her misery.

No one was pretty while in pain, Yuki was coming to realize bitterly.

Rolling onto her back, the brunette carelessly tossed an arm across her forehead, cringing at the crinkle her once perfectly-starched jacket made. She really should get changed, Yuki mused wretchedly. Perhaps have a shower, get cleaned up – she wasn't acting her part at all as she was now, that was for sure – but… why bother?

Who was going to see her when not a single one of her noble 'friends' had come to pacify her in her agony? Who was it she had to play princess for when her audience had turned their back on her? Kaname, it seemed, had made good on his threat to scare them away.

He thought they were bad for her, didn't he? As opposed to what, the solitary lockdown he'd placed her under? No matter what he said nor what coaxing tone he used, it was clear to her that his decree had been a punishment for questioning his sanity during their 'meeting' on Monday after class, for informing him of her belief he was under a spell.

It wasn't _fair_. How else had he expected her to react, knowing what she did and then hearing him proclaim that, that – _Kiryu_, of all people, was his _real_ fucking mate!

The notion was so insane it barely bothered reacting to.

("_How could he possibly be your real mate!?" She'd screamed. "I'm the one you waited for!"_)

(He couldn't be, obviously. It was all a spell, Yuki, remember; just one very strong spell…)

Even more unfair than her brother's spell-induced lunacy (her belief in that wasn't weakening, _no no no_), Yuki thought, was the way not one of her nobles had defended her or even tried to go against her brother's word.

It was something they would pay for, she promised herself, but not quite yet.

As it was, she had other things to mourn over first. Her life was in ruins, her heart in turmoil – all because of what she had dared to hope would be a reprieve from the new horribleness her reality was slowly sinking into.

She should have known nothing good would come of Seiren intruding on her time in the library Saturday evening. Yuki had been stewing in her thoughts as she watched her Kaname-sama pull away from the Moon Dorms in one of the Kuran shuttle cars, probably to go to some soirée she'd been shunned from, when the other vampiress had slipped in silently behind her.

Seiren had always been someone Yuki had felt vaguely wary of. The noble wasn't like any of the others in Kaname's court, or like any in Yuki's own entourage. She was quite like snow-covered ice and Yuki could barely hide a shiver whenever she came into contact with the other woman.

It didn't help that the – well, rather pretty, Yuki guessed – blonde spent so much time in the company of her Kaname-sama, either. Especially when it seemed like every time Yuki tried to spend time with Kaname the man practically ran the other way, or acted as though Yuki were mere air.

But, despite her personal feelings, Yuki had still plastered on a smile for the icy woman, ignoring that the other vampiress had barely offered the brunette a proper greeting in return at all, let alone one fit for someone of Yuki's station. The smile had become noticeably more real when Seiren had finally delivered her message, dictating that Kaname expected Yuki to meet him promptly in his office after Monday's classes.

Yuki had barely managed to hold back a shriek of excitement. She'd thought that perhaps her Kaname-sama wouldn't even _need_ her help to be free of the level D's spell if he was asking her away for a private conversation all on his own!

After all, she'd been sure the ex-human had ordered Kaname to stay away from her – the older Kuran had been actively avoiding the younger since the blow-up in his office – and her dear older brother had obviously broken past the command!

Yuki had giggled to herself with relief. The meeting was probably just to confirm what her Kaname-sama already suspected through the veils of magic he was obviously fighting. The whole mess would be over quickly now, she was sure.

She'd been so, _so_ sure.

Giving Seiren a blinding smile and cheerful acceptance of the invitation (at which point she'd been given a smile like a dagger in return – the first sign of the horrors to come, Yuki thought in miserable retrospect), the brunette had then left the library not much later – off to her own room with visions of romantic endings running rampant through her head.

She'd been so happy, the miserable Yuki of the current thought. And relieved, too. With Kaname back in his own mind it would be up to him to deal with the level D, keeping Yuki free from the inklings of sadness she occasionally felt concerning the ex-human, as well as others from her old life.

Cross was the only one she really cared for anymore, Yuki mused, trying to justify her human emotions to her new vampiric mindset. It was okay because her parents had been friends with him too, and no one important would mention it negatively because of his place in society. The others, though – Yori, Kiryu, and the rest – were supposed to be below her notice. They were _not_ okay to be around or care for.

The vampires she was surrounded by, her brother included, said as much, after all. Not in words but with their actions, the way they held such an arrogant disregard for them… it had to have been something expected of her as well, and who was she to disregard such advice?

Disgust swirled in Yuki's guts at the reminder of her own weakness. The feelings, the emotions, she sometimes felt towards the silver-haired cur and the rest were an insult to her true race, to her true life. She worked hard to tamp them down and hide them away, lest they overcome her new knowledge of the world.

Cats did not care for rats; especially the despicable, dirty kind who forgot what they were and tried to displace their betters.

Especially ones like that man-stealing _Kiryu_!

Across the darkened room her vanity shrieked as the mirror and several expensive glass and crystal makeup and perfume bottles shattered. The wind howled in and ruffled every lose fabric and paper, the glass keeping it out having cracked and fallen as Yuki's un-tended powers riled at their master's rage. Pushing herself from the bed, Yuki sat up for the first time since she'd been (so very _subtly_) escorted from her brother's office to her room and started rifling through the oak side table to the right of her bed.

Hand closing around the item of her desire, the disgraced Kuran princess gently – almost hesitantly – pulled it from the drawer.

Even in the darkness of her room the small red jewel in the center of the cold, metal cross seemed to glow in gentle pulses. No taller than the length of her pointer finger, the pendent hung from a simple silver chain and had deceivingly sharp points at each end of the cross. Grooves from each point to the stone appeared as simplistic, modern decorative carvings, but Yuki knew – had been expressly told – better.

Winding the chain around her slim fingers, the vampiress held the pendent lightly in her hand, careful not to let the points cut her skin, as she considered it.

It had been given to her by the hunter who'd tipped her nobles off about Kaname meeting up with Kiryu. She'd met with him the night after to discuss things and had found herself slightly… unnerved – to say the least – by his plans. He'd sensed that her emotions from her human days were acting up, she thought, and had reassured her that nothing would happen without her saying so and all she needed to do was give him a sign when she felt it was the right time to implement their plans.

(She liked the way he had said 'their' instead of 'his' or 'my' like Kaname would have and had in the past. His consideration of her feelings had helped her opinion of him as well.

It had been sometime since someone had considered her feelings like that.)

Back then, the sheer brutality of the man's plans had cowed her indignation somewhat – after all, Kiryu was merely an animal who didn't quite know how to keep out of other people's things – death had seemed a bit harsh. Now though, with Kaname's – _confession_ – fresh in her mind, her heart aching with embarrassment and pain at his talking down at her, her rage at this fallacy of a ball, staged to do little more than provide the perfect scene for that despicable rat to steal her beloved right out from under her nose in front of the _entire vampire community! –_

Mercy was the least of Yuki's worries.

Firming her grip around the cross, Yuki poised her thumb over one of the sharpened tips, and with a grimace, pushed her flesh onto the point. Ruby red blood ran from her wound, along the groove, and onto the gemstone. She watched in fascination as the stone blackened, flashed brightly once, and shattered.

Anxiously she waited for the sign her message had been received and approved, minutes ticking into quarter and half hours, months and years, until finally the stone regenerated in all its red beauty, her blood faded from the metal.

A smirk contorting her face, still tear-stained though not nearly as distraught, Yuki let the chain fall from its place entwined amongst her fingers before slipping it carefully around her neck. Her plan was in motion, and if her partner's promises came true, this mess really would be done in days.

Just not quite in the loving, peaceful way she'd first thought.

Going to her oversized closet, Yuki looked at the rows of pastel dresses in mild distaste. They were all things Kaname had gotten her the first few days in the Manor and while she did adore them and loved wearing them for him, she felt rather annoyed with him right now, despite his being entranced.

(If he really _was_ entranced. If their entire relationship, as well as his destruction of her former, happy, _human_ life, hadn't been one giant unneeded _lie—_)

Besides, Yuki thought to drive away the whispers at the back of her mind, this was her first time pulling off a truly vampire-worthy scheme without Kaname's help. A different colour for a different scenario seemed delightfully apropos.

Making a mental note to take herself out on a shopping trip, Yuki absently plucked a silken negligee from the back of the closet – something purchased with the desperate hope of stirring some interest from her mate (he was hers, dammit, hers. This doubt was all a spell. She hope— _knew it_.) – and slipped into the bathroom.

The hot water, the promise of sleep, and the reassurance of having her life back soon all did their part in relaxing Yuki until her smirk had melted into a small smile. For once, it seemed like she was about to get some control over her life. It was a pleasant change.

_It's nice, being the master instead of the puppet_, Yuki thought, not quite noticing just how wicked her 'gentle smile' was.

* * *

In a manor very much like that of the Kuran family in age and enchantment, as well as in the blood-status of its inhabitant, a woman with the physical youth of a nineteen-year-old and hair like Rapunzel smiled from the chaise lounge she was sprawled across. Before her knelt one of her more useful servants; an ex-hunter who had not yet been recognized by the Association for what he now was.

"It is time to put my plan in action," she said softly. "I trust you know what to do?" Her sky-blue eyes twinkled in time with the jewel on the cross pendent around her neck – the sister necklace to the one she'd had given to the youngest Kuran – as she played with its chain.

"Yes, my lady." The servant replied, voice seasoned with malice. The woman barely restrained a sigh at the tone. It was such a pity that she couldn't make her servants change their attitude towards her as easily as she controlled their loyalties. Perhaps this one required one of her special touches to change his mood…

Later though, the blonde reminded herself. For now, he was needed with everything in working order.

"Good," she responded instead. "Have it set in motion by the week's end, then. Have you been able to set a meeting between myself and the younger Kuran yet?" With the young princess's agreement to the plan, she had made herself infinitely more interesting to the blonde. She'd shown a uniquely practical side that the only other vampire to gather the blonde's interest simply didn't have. It made the blonde eager to drop her charade and show the girl just who she was really working with.

Yuki Kuran was such a sweet-looking thing too, the blonde thought. Wouldn't it be a lark if the older Kuran really _wasn't_ insane and _had_ made a mistake in regards to who his mate was? It would be simply sublime, especially in the wake of the blonde's plots and schemes.

She really despised the thought of destroying an _entire_ pureblood House, after all. Especially with so few of them left. If it was revealed that the older Kuran was the only one in her way then it was really just all the better.

"Word's reached the Association that the Kurans are having a Samhain ball. Invitations are expected to be out within the week." The servant stated, not bothering to mention if she would be on the guest list or not. As the head of one of the last remaining pureblood families, of course she would be. The blonde gave him a smile for remembering to cut straight to the point without nattering. Perhaps she _wouldn't_ have to harm this one too much, after all.

Minor defiance could be ignored _easily_ for the sake of competence, no?

"Good, good," she murmured, eyes dancing in mild amusement, "and Kiryu's all set to be assigned a mission?" It was only she, her puppet, and dear Yuki who knew that the mission the level D would be 'assigned' to would as good as guarantee him dead.

A single nod was her answer.

The blonde smirked, an evil thing against her doll-like face, not that it much mattered to her. Sometimes it paid to be a little evil, in the end.

Absently she signaled her puppet away, his job done for now. Once he was out of sight the pureblood gracefully pulled herself to her feet, her silky blonde hair falling in gentle waves to the hem of her floor-length dress. Making her way to the window, the head of the Shirabuki family, one of the seven remaining pureblood families, gave one last calculated smile towards the noonday sun before leaving to her bedroom.

So many things were turning out even better than she'd planned them, Sara thought with a grin.

Kaname Kuran had grown so distracted with all this bonding drama he'd somehow gotten caught up in that he'd yet to notice the snakes within his own garden. Zero Kiryu, the last of the founding hunter families, would be dead shortly; leaving the hunters with no plausible protector to rally behind when heads began to roll once more and their fundamental defenses deeply weakened. Yuki Kuran might have posed an issue, once upon a time, but someone seemed to have done a fine job of driving her into Sara's web.

It was all just so hysterically _good_!

And it wasn't even that Yuki was really _necessary_ to the blonde's plans, she thought joyfully. Sara could have easily engineered the death of Kiryu, the older Kuran, and Yuki herself just as simply as she had included the brunette in her plans. This way though, Sara would get to meet the girl in person and either confirm or disperse the intrigue she had felt upon seeing a photo of the brunette for the first time.

Depending on the way that went, if her suspicions really were correct, then it would barely even matter that Takuma Ichijo had just announced that he'd found his mate in Senri Shiki. She'd already have her own.

Smiling happily to herself, the blonde shed her lacy dress and slipped into something more appropriate for bed. Visions of the elder Kuran dead at her feet, his sister in her arms, and his crown on her head danced through her mind. The death of Kiryu would just be the start of it.

Not realizing the interesting contrast she presented against the brunette in her dreams as she slept soundly miles away, Sara drifted off not a moment later, a rather wicked smile curling her lips.

* * *

**Okay, probably not what everyone was expecting after the awkward fluff of last chapter, but now that I've got the ground work of Zero and Kaname's relationship laid out (it only took me like, three years and fifteen chapter, oh boy) I'm moving along with the plot, which means drugging up and introducing some antagonists. Hopefully you like them. And while we're talking about liking thing, what do you all think of the new summary? **

**Anyway, thanks to the following for reviewing: **_Yuurei no Chu, ben4kevin, TwistedNoir, AccioNimbus2000 _**(Ps. I love the username)**_, cyhap, LuanRina, and Hikari/Guest!_** Thank so, so much for reviewing! It's what gets you these chapters relatively soon!**

**Also, thanks to my always-wonderful beta, SunaT.U!**

**Note: This entire story is now beta read as of this chapter, nothing momentous has changed but the story is a lot cleaner now! Thank you SunaT.U!**

**Please Review!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	17. Reality Check

The cold winds howling outside the elegant bay windows of Kaname Kuran's private sitting room, minted newly that night with the supernaturally inclined power of October, were nothing in comparison to how frigid Zero's posture had become, the brunet thought with a wince. And it had been looking to be such a nice start to the month, too.

Silently the pureblood cursed Takuma's subtly chastising looks and irksome use of rationality. The noble had been quietly urging Kaname to tell Zero about his plans for Samhain since the pureblood had revealed them to his inner circle. Everything from a usually-ignorable shifting of the look in the blonde's eyes when the subject rose to flat out, blunt comments had been sent Kaname's way until, finally, he'd caved and invited his mate to an early morning breakfast; every detail of it staged solely for the purpose of minimizing the damage of Zero's (most probably explosive) reaction to the news.

The plan had been simple: invite Zero somewhere private, make sure it was early enough that the silverette would have an abundance of time to cool off before Kaname had to face him again, and bring those little chocolate biscuits Kaname had discovered Zero adored during their third date a day or so ago.

It had all been going perfectly – so much so that Kaname had even been able to push Yuki's melodramatics out of his mind for the time being. It was something he was rarely able to do inside the Moon Dorms anymore, what with how her uncontrolled aura carried throughout almost every room, reminding them all of her 'turmoil'.

But that had barely even mattered, barely even crossed his _mind_, because upon arriving Zero had felt so inclined as to smile at Kaname for the first time without having to be tricked into it _and_ the silverette had accepted a kiss without any glaring! The pureblood had scarcely been able to believe his good fortune.

Fortune that he had, apparently, spurned upon mustering up the nerve to finally give the reason for their somewhat-otherwise-pointless breakfast date.

Flat, amethyst eyes regarded Kaname in a way akin to which a cat might look over a mouse they thought particularly brave (or stupid). Sitting tense in his seat, the head of the House of Kuran watched with baited breath as those deadly eyes shifted from Kaname's face down to the stately invitation now held in Zero's thin fingers.

"So, let me get this straight," Zero murmured, voice nigh on gentle even as his eyes flashed darkly in the cool, natural light of the day. "You want to reveal our relationship in front of the vampire world's most elite, during one of the most important holidays of the year, with your recently ex-fiancé present, after only not outright hating each other for about two weeks." Zero locked eyes with Kaname, purple gaze drilling holes into Kaname's earthy ones. "Is that right?"

Pretending he hadn't been wincing internally throughout his mate's cut-and-dry summary, Kaname masked his face and nodded.

"And you thought this was a good idea, how?" Zero all but hissed, his hands fisting by his sides. "Fuck, Kaname! This – _relationship_ – is not just something you can go and show off like that!"

"Why not?" Kaname replied evenly, rising to his feet in relation to Zero, who had already stormed away from the table they'd been having tea at, chocolate biscuit things left untouched.

Gently he wrapped the silverette in his arms, ignoring how Zero merely continued to stare determinedly out the window. Kaname nipped playfully at his ear. "Why can't I show you off, Zero? You're beautiful, stunning. Is it so bad that I want everyone to know you're mine?"

"I can't imagine it would be wonderful for whatever goal you're working towards." Zero snapped, his voice low and darkened eyes (_too_) far away. The image he made left Kaname barely able to withhold his own tired exhale. He and Zero had been (officially) together for barely three days and yet it seemed that every conversation came back to the theme of who was holding what cards. It was a trying subject between them, to say the least; neither of them was much inclined to folding, after all.

For his own side of it, Kaname found himself still striving for the seemingly eternally far-off goal of the Vampire Crown. If truth be told, that it was his much-delayed birthright that was just a small piece of it. Most of his desire for the position came from his decision that he was the beginning and end of the list of those whom he trusted to rule his kind. It hadn't always been his goal – far from it – but with the way recent events had played out, and with how deeply corruption in the Senate had run… Kaname could see very little other choice. The vampire world needed a leader, and like hell if he were going to let one of the other powerful lunatics he knew of take hold of the position.

While he didn't actively try and keep this from Zero – from anyone, really – neither had he told the details of his plan to his mate. Zero was, after all, a hunter before he was anything else, and while he might love the other desperately, Kaname wasn't quite sure if he could trust Zero's disgust with the organization to override his ingrained sense of loyalty to their cause. A cause that, in its simplest form, was to keep another vampiric monarchy from rising – in explanation, Kaname's goal.

Whoever said life was easy obviously hadn't been looking in the right places.

Sighing, Kaname gave up any lasting pretenses and spun the silverette, pulling him flush against his chest so Zero had little other option than to direct his vitriolic eyes up at him. "Would it be a terrible thing to ask you to just trust me this time?"

The faraway-ness dissipated; something animalistic slicing it to pieces. Before he knew it, Zero was out of his arms and half way across the room. "Do you really want me to answer that?" The silverette tossed back derisively.

Kaname winced._ Okay, Kuran, you walked right into that one._

"Zero, please." Vampiric speed had him at the silverette's side before Zero could get the door open, his own hands keeping Zero's from freeing the silverette from the situation. Angry eyes met his, a nasty curl to Zero's mouth showing displeasure that Kaname had to physically stop himself from kissing away.

"I know we haven't been together long," he started, voice low and soft, "but I'm trying to do what's best." Gently he brought Zero's hand to his mouth, kisses landing like butterflies across pale skin. "The vampiric nobility won't take it kindly if we act like we're hiding this, especially considering—"

"That I'm an ex-human hunter with a reputation for insanity?" Zero snorted, pushing Kaname's hands away. Kaname tried to hide a grimace at the cold sheen to his mate's voice, but the guilt in his stomach and the emotions flowing through their bond were enough to shatter his mask.

Zero, eyes focused on Kaname since the pureblood had forcibly turned the silverette's back to the door at the beginning of the brunette's diatribe, broke the silence with a sigh.

"Look," he said after another beat of quiet. "I've been offered a mission, something a bit farther away than usual; Tokyo, to be specific. I wasn't planning on accepting despite all the supposed 'urgency'" – Here Zero did something of a sarcastic eye roll, leading Kaname to smile despite his growing sense of malcontent – "But with this…"

"You think it would be wise?" Kaname asked softly, desperately clamping down on the wrathful possessiveness that rose within him at the mere thought of Zero being out of his easy reach.

Logically he knew that this point would come eventually. Zero was a stringently independent creature, not quite chaffing at the bindings the Association had placed on him when he had come to live with Cross, but almost. Zero had revealed to Kaname that sometimes all that kept him from full out revolt was these rare faraway missions he was assigned from time to time. If Kaname were to fight him on this, it wouldn't be a happy outcome regardless of who won.

Or at least, that's what his commonsense said. His more animalistic side, on the other hand…

Well, let's just say it was a good thing for Zero that Kaname was a man who knew how to deny that side of himself.

Kaname pulled himself back to the present in time to catch Zero's nod. "Yeah, I do. It would give me some time to work out some aggression before – _the_ _announcement_ – and find a way to inform the Hunter Association." Zero smiled, only a tinge bitter this time. "Hunters don't like secrets very much either."

Just barely Kaname managed to keep his innate comment – _then why won't you tell me what you're hiding?_ – to himself. Instead he merely nodded, the question floating like acrid smoke in his mind; unpleasant, but preferable to the fires he knew it would start if he set it free.

Besides, with Zero away maybe he'd have a chance to finally study those books. It would be for the good of their relationship that he read them, Kaname mused, subconsciously trying to justify his blunt curiosity. If Zero refused to come out and say whatever it was he was hiding, Kaname would just have to look for it on his own. He doubted Zero wouldn't have done the same if their roles had been switched.

Gingerly Kaname untangled himself from where he'd unconsciously been pining Zero to the door, retaking his seat on the opposite side of the table he'd had brought in specifically for their breakfast date. Taking a sip of his tea – cold, but then so had turned most things regarding this particular rendezvous of theirs – he turned back to Zero, who hadn't left his place by the door.

"So, when do you leave?"

Stoically, Kaname pretended to not notice the flash of hurt in violet eyes before purple ice overtook them.

* * *

"Fucking Kuran and his goddamn, self-righteous, arrogant attitude!" Zero growled, fist closing around the delicate vase that had sat as though it were some kind of precious heirloom on his bedside table for the last week. Held within its fragile grasp was the same purple rose Kaname had given him at Vermilion, as immaculate as ever with the aid of the pureblood's magic. Rage boiling in his veins, Zero lobbed it at his poster-covered wall, a deep sense of gratification blooming in his gut as it left his hand.

The crystal shattered with a sound like laughter cut short, leaving the wall wet and the posters in danger of shriveling if he didn't move to wipe away the water quickly. The rose lay unnaturally perfect on the floor, not even a petal out of place. Zero leveled a glare at it and contemplated crushing it beneath his boot. Vaguely, he wondered if it wouldn't just regenerate as it had every other time it had started to look a little wilted.

Eventually Zero merely closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips as he let himself fall boneless onto his bed, half-packed duffle bag bouncing listlessly in consequence.

What was he doing, he pondered, getting himself messed up with a man like Kuran? There was the bond to consider, yeah, but Zero knew there were places he could go where Kaname would never find him. The Kiryu family had always put being able to disappear as a much-respected asset, constructing blood-warded bolt-holes all over Japan and outlying nations. It was how he suspected Ichiru had managed to keep himself and Shizuka so far of the grid. If Zero fled to one of those – perhaps the one high up in mountains, or the newest, in the Americas – no one would be able to find him until he wanted to be found.

Zero felt his very being sag at the mere thought, a soft, despairing moan rising in his throat. That wasn't what he _wanted_, though. Not anymore.

It would take so much energy, so much will and magic and power and trickery – and for what? A cold, lonely life and an isolated death, whilst back home Kuran ran amuck searching for him? The mere thought made him cringe. He didn't really want to be away from Kaname, not truly. The man drove him mad often, yes, but these last few days of theirs… they'd been nice, much more so than Zero had expected.

It wasn't even that they did anything extraordinary, which Zero felt was more Kaname differing to Zero's distaste for the fancy than anything else. It was merely that Kaname had become someone who wasn't afraid to touch Zero, as so many were. Kaname did not flinch away from his glares, did not duck his head when he raised his voice, did not insist on 'fixing him' like he were a broken doll. It had been a very long time since anyone had ever acted like this to Zero, his dear dead twin probably having been the last. Little things like that, like the pureblood's words, like his very presence, seemed to soothe Zero as much as Kaname's personality kept him interested and on his toes.

They hadn't touched each other like they had in Vermillion's backroom since that night, nor had Zero woken up in his room, mussed and alone in slightly damp sheets, once again. Not a word had been spoken about either occurrence, but it seemed as though they'd both agreed privately to try and curb that part of their relationship until they became more… _stable_, with each other (_could they ever be comfortable_?).

Since the coffee shop date everything had just been light, playful. Suddenly they'd become simply two people, moving on and learning about each other, trying desperately to hammer out some common ground that didn't involve blood and pain and a girl with cocoa hair and sunshine eyes. In fact, the kiss Zero had given Kaname upon entering the sitting room had been the first romantic show of affection for a little under a week.

It had been good, so very good, and that was probably why it had ended the way it did.

Sighing, Zero rolled off his bed and began diligently on his packing once again, trying to drum up some excitement for the trip. Tokyo would be fun, once he got the level D nest he was being sent to clear out over with. Perhaps he'd stay a day or two longer, enjoy the sights and the nice hotel room reserved by the Association, maybe check out some of the more infamous hunter clubs in the area.

All for his own enjoyment, of course. Certainly not to punish Kaname for this fucking ball of his, or for how the bastard never took a second to just fucking _discuss_ this shit with him, or—

The silverette cursed colorfully as he brought his meagerly bleeding hand to his chest, wounded finger immediately going to his mouth as he scanned his room for his deplorable first aid kit. On his bed the throwing knife he'd been tucking inside his bag glared at him balefully. Apparently, raging internally at Kuran made him clumsy.

At least it wasn't a big cut, Zero thought as he pulled a Band-Aid from the little kit (found in his bedside table, having been dumped there when he'd first moved in and not touched again, most likely). He'd hate to see how the vampires would react if they smelled his blood now that they knew how 'connected' he and Kaname were. Aidou Hanabusa and Ruka Souen would prove to be endlessly amusing with their reactions, he was sure.

_Because the Night Class has to have known by now_, a little voice in Zero's head sing-songed. Kaname obviously didn't care to consult Zero on how he wanted to treat this relationship of theirs, so why wouldn't he have informed his little minions? The only consolation was that the Night Class hadn't changed their actions toward Zero in recent days, meaning that he didn't have to worry about the revelation upsetting the balance of careful respect established between the two parties.

_Unless they knew about the bond before you did, and only respected you because their master said to—_

Oh, was he getting paranoid. Surely Kaname hadn't done that, had he? He couldn't have. It would have gone against basic vampiric etiquette, if his nobles had known before Kaname had told his (ex) fiancé. Yuki had been hanging off Kaname right until the end, too. Something she definitely wouldn't have done if she'd known what was coming… right?

_I need to get out of here_, Zero thought, _this place is making me crazy_. Taking a deep breath the silverette zipped the lid of his duffle bag closed and flipped the strap around his shoulders, taking a little comfort in the balanced weight it provided. Filled with the bare necessities of clothes, his knives, extra bullets for Bloody Rose, basic warding supplies, minimal bandages, and some cash, it felt good bouncing against his hip as he moved to collect his iPod and cellphone. Bloody Rose, as per usual, was already safety sheathed at his hip.

He'd changed out of his uniform already. In fact, a shower and a clothing change had been the first things he'd done upon reaching his room, a somewhat desperate attempt to get Kaname's stench off him. He'd been so pissed off at how the pureblood seemed to be strong-arming him into everything regarding their relationship lately that he'd considered burning the uniform, but had decided at the last minute that that might have proven to be a bit dramatic.

So instead he'd donned his hunting clothes, items that caused a stark transition in his appearance, one he rarely looked forward to but took a certain kind of relief in at the moment.

Out of the Cross Academy uniform, free of a soirée-approved tux, safe from Kaito's rebellious sense of style, there was no mistaking what family he had been born to. He almost wished Kaname would swing by to try and stop him from leaving, just so the bastard could see what a Kiryu House hunter was supposed to look like when not held down by Association or Academy rules and an impending transition to level D.

What they were supposed to look like when they weren't the only one of their house left.

Banishing the bitterness in that last thought, Zero shoved his iPod into his pocket and took up his motorcycle helmet, eyeing his phone debatingly.

On one hand, he should probably bring it for safety's sake. Just encase someone wanted to get ahold of him or, even more unlikely, he got into trouble he couldn't get out of. On the other hand, Kaname undoubtedly already had the number and a secret part of Zero already found itself in knots of anticipation over whether the pureblood would call him or not.

The image of himself casting considering glances at the piece of plastic and metal every other minute whilst debating the pros and cons of his relationship with Kaname like a love-sick schoolgirl eventually made Zero set the little piece of technology down. Besides, he was going to Tokyo. It wasn't like he'd be impossible to find if he was needed, nor would he be stranded if he got in trouble. Fuck, there was an Association armory station right in the city's heart, for crying out loud.

The Association member who'd contacted him had already said Cross and Yagari had been informed and cleared him to go anyway. Other than Yori and Kaito, who he was sure Yagari would pass the message along to, who would bother calling him?

Turning his back decisively to the device, Zero scanned his room once more for anything he'd forgotten. Upon sighting the mess he'd made from chucking that rose of Kaname's half-way across his room he felt briefly bad, but anger at how the pureblood seemed determined to run their relationship like one of his business deals made Zero leave it where it lie. Like much everything else, Zero thought a little hysterically, he'd deal with that mess when he got back.

Scooping his keys from their place on the dresser, Zero flipped the light switch off and stepped out of his room, into the empty hallway of the Day Class boys' dorm. Taking the stairs two at a time mostly for the hell of it, Zero found himself in the Cross Academy parking garage in barely anytime, duffle bag strapped to the back of his bike while he sat astride the machine, glancing around for someone he knew wouldn't show up.

Ten minutes later, with resignation having successfully found a home in his bones and his last romantic whims having retracted their hold, Zero revved the engine and pulled away from the parking space. Knowing he was safe to drive like a bat out of Hell for at least the ten minutes it took to get down the school's winding driveway before he hit the outlying town, Zero took full advantage and raced forward. Mercifully, the speed and adrenaline managed to quiet the desperate bit of him hoping that this wasn't what the next however-many years of his life were going to look like.

* * *

**Oh, come on. You can't tell me you expected their relationship to be all flowers and rainbows from now on, did you? I hope not, because this isn't the end of their angst, I'm afraid ;) Also, terribly sorry about the wait! Life's a bitch and writer's block is her whore.**

**Thank you to all these wonderful people for their wonderful Reviews!: **dimplypanda, AccioNimbus2000, ben4kevin, Sakura Heme, LuanRina, TwistedNoir, Gravity's Child, Yuurei no Chu, kiki8o, cyhap, **and **BlueKaZeBlack**! You people rock!**

**Never forgetting also to thank my wonderful (and patient) beta, SunaT.U! Thank you so much!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	18. The Queen of Cards

Moonlight lay draped about the room like dust, path disturbed by the occasional flicker of candlelight. Their combined glows worked together to fill the halls and rooms of Shirabuki Manor with a kind of soft, downy illumination – like that of a fairy castle, one with none of the bloody secrets its inspiration kept behind closed doors. Dressed in the very beginnings of a fine gown, the mistress of the estate stood atop a seamstress's stool while two such vampiric women fluttered about her, pining and measuring in a well-practiced flurry.

Sara smiled softly to herself, eyes roaming, pleased, over the bolts of fabric set around her boudoir as she idly fingered the undone ribbon that had held the creamy card in her hand closed. As expected, her invitation to the Kuran House Samhain Ball – and _engagement soirée_; oh, the _controversy_ – had come one minute past midnight on September the thirtieth, the traditional start of October. Twenty-four hours later and – like any quality pureblood lady – her dress was in its beginning steps, her mask's design approved and sent to Venice to be crafted by the finest hands in the industry.

The fair blonde giggled to herself and twisted her hips, watching with delight both at the way in which her dove grey underskirts twirled and how her seamstresses flinched at the sudden movement. Silly women – as if she'd harm them while they still had her gown to finish.

And what a gown it would be, Sara thought, her smile small and safe on her lips. The entire arrangement was brought about by the concept of Hades, the Greek god of riches and the Underworld. She thought the theme apropos of her current goals in life, to possess both Kuran's crown and his pretty, lively sister; Sara's own Persephone!

Perhaps she should send the dear girl something that would complement the idea? Or maybe just a token that would go along with Sara's own guise… her dress would be comprised entirely of black silk and chiffon, with the hems trimmed in coal-grey lace, so maybe a necklace of obsidian stones? Grecian draping would be used to style the long skirts and sleeves, though the bodice would be Victorian in nature; corseted and skin-tight. Sara's mask would be what drew it all together, though; something similar to its design might be the best token. It was to be crafted of thin, hammered gold with black detailing at the edges; hiding everything above her lips while leaving her with perfect sightlines—

_At least physically_, a little voice whispered, breaking through Sara's musings. _But we both know you fall into fog in other regards, don't we, Sara-dear...? If you were as sure in your plans as you pretend, then you wouldn't be in a fitting for a gown you surely won't need!_

The pureblood's eyes narrowed involuntarily, their colour drifting from a clear blue to the shade of treacherously thin ice. True, there was _some_ opposition to her plans, but they were being _dealt with_. They _had to be!_ She'd made sure… _hadn't she?_ The dress was just a precaution, an alibi at most! _If her men were killing Kuran's mate right that moment, then why would she be having an expensive gown made __**just**__ for their engagement ball!?_

Suddenly, Sara found herself wanting free of the layers of dress, which had become stifling against her skin. The air felt cloying in her lungs and even the candlelit-sconces' gentle light seemed harsh to her sensitive eyes. Snapping her fingers, the pureblood's mood fouled even further when even her seamstresses' quick switch to attention did nothing to please her.

"Out," the ages-old vampiress hissed. "You may finish this over the next night."

"But, my lady, it's barely ten this night! We need all the time we—" Swift as a knife through air, the seamstress – nothing more than a child, a mere level C half a century old and so naïve! – let out a choking gasp.

Sara did little more than glare harder, watching with vitriolic eyes as the woman's blouse grew wet at the back, the scent of melting skin and burning blood filling the room. Screams trailed the smell, crashing against the pureblood's ears like a snowstorm against an endless surface of frozen tundra. In the wake of it, the additional seamstress stood icy in her stillness.

Growing bored of the futile noise a handful of moments later, Sara blinked.

As though someone had orchestrated it, the lesser vampiress went quiet, mouth gapping. The room witnessed a beat of silence before the seamstress tumbled from her crunched, frozen position to the soft cream carpet, letting out a minuscule squeak when she landed. Sara sneered her annoyance at the girl as the liquidated cacophony formed from the C's melted back bled into the floor, no doubt staining it.

"I had hoped you had trained your aids better than this, Kimika," Sara murmured, face having gone complacent while watching her punished servant wither in the aftermath of her wrath.

The additional vampiress, the head seamstress and one of the few remaining staff hired by Sara's parents, nodded quietly. The common vampiress's lips sat drawn together in a tight line as her old, dark eyes washed over her mutilated apprentice unsympathetically. She had warned the girl, had she not? Their mistress was like a princess, the elder had explained. Pressures innumerable weighed on their lady's shoulders, and as such she deserved the best and did not take kindly when things were not done as she commanded.

Perhaps, Kimika acknowledged silently, when she'd been explaining how their mistress's wrath was like acid, she should have made sure to emphasize how literally she'd meant the words.

"I had hoped the same, my lady," the seamstress said, senses blind to the suffering of her charge and instead focused on Sara, on self-preservation. "It is obvious now that I was mistaken. My apologies for making you correct my error, Mistress. Please, allow me to deal with this mess. Shall I send someone with tea? Perhaps you could take it in the observatory, where you could then recuperate under the moon's full light?"

Sara's lips lifted in the slightest way at Kimika's words, her lithe fingers going to play with a few curling locks of her pale hair as she thought on the proposal. Her depthless eyes never left the younger, fallen seamstress's idle body. Despite Sara having broken the hold her corrosive powers had taken on the other woman, the low-class vampiress's skin still bubbled and burnt, though much more slowly now. Her face – a collection of mildly attractive bits and bobs – was frozen in agony, mouth moving like a fish out of water.

Really, Sara thought, she should punish Kimika for bringing such trash into her home, but… Sara cast a glance at the elderly servant, noting how the seamstress's once midnight black hair had become wound through with silver, how there were now a tinge of crow's feet at the corners of the seamstress's dark eyes. Kimika had served Sara's family since before the pureblood's birth and had been one of the few to stay after Sara's parents had perished. For that, the blonde supposed, she could be lenient this once.

"Yes, that does sound appealing," Sara hummed softly, offering her hand to the older, lower-classed vampiress. Kimika took it with great care, standing as a prop while Sara lowered herself from the stool, careful to avoid the mess that had become of the woman who was once Kimika's prized apprentice.

"Would you prefer to change first, or would you like to test the beginnings of the gown for fit?" Kimika asked softly, cleverly reminding her dear, crazy mistress of her current state of dress. Sara blinked once, slowly, before a sweet smile crossed her face.

"Yes, of course. Let's get this off," Sara said, shaking herself once, briefly. Kimika nodded and dutifully helped the blonde free after guiding her to the other side of the boudoir, the one clear of any soupy bits of gore that might stain the gown. By the end of it, the dress – if it could be called that, as of yet – hung coldly from a custom mannequin's frame while Sara stood draped in the long, soft, sage green gown she'd worn to the fitting.

Kimika frowned as she noticed the necklace her mistress wore. It must have been tucked away under layers of fabric before, but now the little metal cross stood out starkly, blood-red diamond sparkling.

"My lady, wherever did you find that necklace? It's so unique!" Normally a question like this would have sent Sara off on a light, giggly tale of the item's purchase – the girl did love her shopping – but not now. Instead, her mistress's pair of clear blue eyes blinked once before narrowing, the blonde's fingers going to the pendant at her throat and clasping around it sharply.

"That reminds me…" Sara murmured as they made their way to the observatory. "Would you please bring me my stationary set and the scrying mirror with my tea?" the pureblood asked, a dark, worrying light coming to her eyes. "There are things I need to check the progress of."

Kimika nodded slowly, a little warily. "Of course, my lady. Do you need anything else?" she asked as they approached the door.

"No," the blond said softly, mind already occupied with other things. Things Kimika had no desire to know about. "That will be all. You're dismissed for the rest of the night following the completion of these orders. I will have no need of you."

It was said in such a different way, but it was still the exact same order that head seamstress's stupid apprentice had spoken up against. Nodding once, the woman turned from her mistress with quick steps, eager to do her bidding and then venture freely for the rest of the night.

For, while her face did not show it, she remembered her apprentice's screams; how the confident girl had all but crumbled beneath the force of their mistress's lethal wrath. No affection for the broken girl Sara Shirabuki hid so well could quell the fear in Kikima's heart as she left, running in every way but speed, wailing in every way but the physically.

* * *

The scrying mirror was radiant silver under the moonlight, its handle and glass face cool to the touch. Despite its worth – that of several fortunes, to the right person– Sara treated as though it were unimportant. It was, really, when contrasted against her own power. It was a little scrap of a thing, developed by hunters to find hiding vampires or their remains, if that might be the case; Sara had procured it for its beauty alone. That it was coming in useful now was merely a bonus. Taking up a cloth soaked in a concoction of rue water tainted pink by Sara's own blood, turned cloudy by the ashy remains of a torn piece of Kiryu's shirt (gathered by a now-dead E), the blonde waited for an image to appear.

Eyes quietly flicking to the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room, Sara knew she could only expect one of two options. Either her plan had worked, or it hadn't. Either she'd need that dress, or she wouldn't. This conclusion did nothing to stop her impatience as she watched the mixture be absorbed by the enchanted glass with glinting eyes, only a little annoyed by her sudden dependency on the tool. Slowly, fog gathered behind the reflective surface, reaching a swirling crescendo before fading away, having found the person, the scene, she wished (wanted, _needed_, _**craved**_) to look upon…

_Tokyo lights radiated glowing neon into the decrepit ally, the coloured beams partially obscured by the cold luminescence of the wards constructed to hide the sounds and sights of battle from wandering humans. Kiryu, tall and imposing despite bleeding obviously from several open wounds, stood with his back to the ally's mouth. Boxing him in were an array of level Es, freshly fallen and full of blood rage. Some clung from the walls, dangling from warped fire escapes and abandoned balconies, while numerous others stood crouched together, clogging the narrow pass and ready to spring at a moment's notice. A thick carpet of ash lay at their feet, the remains of an uncountable amount of their comrades, ground into the wet asphalt and muddy with spilled blood. Glinting bullet shells and discarded daggers lay hidden like items in a find-it book amongst the muck. Snarls rent the air, overcoming the heavy, struggling breaths Kiryu did his damnedest to take and emit. They sounded suspiciously wet, as though perhaps one of the Es had the luck to puncture a lung._

Gods Dammit, Sara thought, teeth grinding together like shards of broken glass. Where was her ace when she needed it? At least a hundred Es would have had to been slaughtered for that amount of dust to build up, let alone the fifteen B class nobles she'd sent… She snorted, bitter. They'd called it over kill at the time. She wondered what they'd call it now, from beyond the grave.

_All around the scene rose vines had run rampant, their horrible thorns having pushed through Kiryu's skin at the will of their master once he'd run out of bullets and lost the mobility to fight hand-to-hand. They struck with a vicious, unsavory vengeance; taking down one E after another as though the diamond-sharp strikes of their prey hurt not at all. Kiryu's face was a mask of stony concentration as the Es' blood splattered against both himself and the surrounding area, only his eyes hinting at the relief he felt as the number of enemies decreased, thinking he was almost free—_

Sara laughed viciously not a heartbeat later. There was her extra card!

_From behind, a body broke through the wards. It was a small thing, light and quick – that of some trashy little whore, withdrawing eyes alight with a terrible purpose. Clasped in the mortal's hand was a dagger of vampire silver about a foot long, a prized heirloom of the Shirabuki family from their days as warriors, special in that it gave the user immunity from hunter magic, like those pesky anti-human wards. It sunk easily into Kiryu's back, the metal – having been cast with the ashes of fallen vampires – sharper than what the anti-vampire chainmail the hunter's jacket was lined with could withstand._

_For a small moment, all stood still. Sara's mortal instrument, her special little back up plan, seemed to be in shock at the reality of what she'd just done for money and white powder, and who wouldn't be? Kiryu was still up, gagging on the blood that was surely pooling in his mouth, chocking as it dripped down his chin. His torn-up body seized with pain where it had only been trembling with exhaustion before; the death rattles in his breathing had fallen silent, as it wasn't air but crimson falling from his lips now._

_Like a clockwork toy, Kiryu's head swiveled towards his attacker; violet eyes open in disbelief when teary, human eyes made contact with his._

_"I'm sorry," the girl muttered, her miserable, broken voice like glass on Sara's ears._

_The last Kiryu's bottom jaw fell open a little more, a wave of scarlet flowing free with the motion, egging a deep sob from the mortal. For a moment Sara thought he'd give the bitch some sign of exemption, a free pass from the guilt she was doomed to be eaten alive by – Sara had always read the D as the anti-heroic type – but instead only one word fell from his lips, having struggled valiantly free from his copper-coated mouth before he crumpled, hitting the ground so suddenly his human killer merely let the dagger fall with him._

_"Run."_

Smirking, Sara thought that indeed, that was the more prudent thought to give with his last breath. There were still a couple of hungry level Es left, after all; wounded and lusting after hot blood even more than they had been before...

The girl – Sara's pretty little murder doll, the key to her plan – was too shaken to do as she'd been told, though, and too stupid from her human upbringing to realize she'd need the dagger in Kiryu's back to pass through the barrier the way she'd come. The remaining Es descended not a second later, and soon the silent spell of Kiryu's death had been broken with the incantation of a new one.

Sara watched a few moments longer, eyes regarding the casual violence of feeding level Es the way another might children bickering over a shared snack. The human girl's screams affected her on the same level as the ripping of a wrapper might someone else. That wasn't what she was watching for, though. No, Sara was merely counting Kiryu's last breaths, or rather, his lack of them.

Her smile was merely a slash of red between her nose and chin, her pearly teeth framed by her lipstick as she confirmed the death of Kaname Kuran's half bound mate to herself. It wouldn't be official until Kuran, er – _reacted_ – but for now, this was enough.

Taking the mirror more purposefully in her hand, Sara placed it gently in a waiting bowl of water, watching complacently as her previous mixture leeched from the glass, leaving the surface merely reflective once again. After placing it back in its case, she turned to her writing set.

She almost wanted to contact Kuran; to gloat at his ill fortune, to confess it all and then wait eagerly as madness stuck the proud, pureblood king down. But that was foolish, she reminded herself. Kuran, for all that she disliked him, was powerful. His rage would be fantastical as it was and as yet, he did not even know of her involvement; no one, not even lovely Yuki, did. No, it was best not to test the Red Rose King's rage; it would only lead to a battle, one she did not need when she still had other things to orchestrate.

She also yearned to contact Yuki, to summon the girl to her manor and show her the beautiful, bloody web Sara had weaved; the brilliant card game she'd played. It was yet early for that too, though. Best to show Yuki in little steps, one card at a time. Sara didn't want the poor dear overwhelmed, after all. That was where Kuran had gone wrong with her in the first place!

Sighing, Sara picked up her pen and scribbled a missive to her hunter-turned-servant. She'd have him instigate the next step in her plans – this one to secure Yuki, and then after, to take Kaname Kuran's head – and then there would be little to do but ensure she was the most likely option to claim the throne.

With Kuran dead, his mate disposed of, and his sister unrepentantly Sara's, his court would have no choice but to fall into her hand. With them, the claim would be unanimous. A royal flush to Kaname Kuran's signature checkmate.

With a smile, Sara got to her feet, hair and gown trailing behind her as she made her way from the observatory, heading to her private rooms. There were still a half-dozen hours of solid night left, but Sara found herself lacking the mood to do little else but seclude herself and sip blood until the sun rose. Once she had Yuki, things might play much differently, but for now this was all Sara sought to congratulate herself on a job well done.

Along the way she dropped off her missive with the head butler, a shaky level B still unbearably new to his job, along with a request of spiced blood wine to be sent to her room. The other vampire was quick to heed her and, for the first time since her disastrous fitting, Sara found herself feeling distinctly at peace.

Funny how a winning hand can do that for you, even if the cards _are_ a little sticky with something red.

* * *

**Um, not sure what to say here that will keep people from hunting me down, lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and didn't I warn of angst to come? Just try and remember that Tragedy isn't one of the genres of this story and we have still yet to find out all the secrets Zero was hiding ;)**

**Thank yous go to these lovely people for reviewing!:** ben4kevin, TwistedNoir, Guest, Guest, AccioNimbus2000, autums'Fiction, OfDarknessandFlowers, Gravity's Child, BlueKaZeBlack, 0, Brookie cookie17, animefan4567, **and**, Rhea Llanes!

**Special Thanks also to SunaT.U for editing!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


	19. Want and Need

Oh, Kaname. Could he never do anything by half?

In the days following Zero Kiryu's departure from Cross Academy, it had become quite clear to anyone in the know that something terrible had happened to Yuki's dear brother. His aura, once so carefully controlled that it was little more than a whisper, had become suffocating. Once so light that no mortal could feel it, it now rolled over the grounds like a dark, black fog.

It was something that had been slowly seeping through the walls since Kiryu had left the campus five days ago, but only on the third day had it truly broken free. In those first few days, it had merely upset the horses and made the common-level vampires (or those who were generally unused to the Kuran Heir's tempers) antsy. Yuki hadn't even been able to feel a shift in it without drawing on her own power, a skill she'd been learning slowly. Now, however, it caused tangible terror. Against the unrestrained energy Kaname was emitting, windows had broken, wallpaper had peeled, flowers had withered, and animals near and far had fled the campus. In one memorable case, Hanabusa Aidou had even taken a tumble from a second-story balcony when the railing he'd been leaning against gave way.

The last occurrence should have lightened the mood a little – Yuki couldn't think of anyone who didn't find Aidou in pain funny – but no. Apparently, whatever had happened on the third day to start this mess had just been too heavy for those in the know to move past it. The rest of the Night Class had followed suit, despite having received little to no information on just why Kaname couldn't pull his suffocating power back.

Yuki, of course, had only been deemed privy to the bare bones. Having just been freed of the social solitude that her brother had forced on her as punishment for arguing against his choice in mate, she wasn't deemed close enough to him to be told all the details. It would have infuriated her – and still did, to some extent – if she hadn't recently been given means to find out on her own the day after the fact.

Absently, she drew a silk-gloved finger over the surface of the gift she had received. It had been delivered to her on the eve of her release from her room by her hunter contact, cloaked in a glamour to make him appear like just another gentry-level vampire. He had explained that it was a gift from 'his Lady'. As it turned out, he was not actually the one who had been helping her. He had only been working as a puppet, heading the orders of another.

Yuki would admit that she hadn't been particularly surprised, or even angry. She'd thought that something was strange about the way he'd spoken to her; as though she were an equal. Men never considered her that. Not on their own, at least. No wonder why he'd seemed like such a breath of fresh air.

Fondly, she thought back to the letter she'd received along with the gift. Written on thick, creamy stationary, the note had been both informational and friendly, as though smiles had been laced between the words.

The writing had been so different from her brother's swift, slanted scrawl – instead, the letters had been large and carefully crafted, swirly and beautiful. Even without the paper in hand, Yuki could still smell the perfume it had been scented with. Jasmine. From books she'd read during the lonely nights she'd spent in Kuran Manor, she knew the white variety stood for sensuality. Maybe...

Blushing, Yuki wondered if maybe that message had been intentional. Oddly, the thought of someone else's interest in her didn't anger her as she'd thought it would. Logically, it should annoy her that someone else saw the good in her while her one true love ignored her. However, Kaname had been so cold for so long – and he was only getting worse. It would seem that doing away with Kiryu had only made her brother even more unstable. Yuki was starting to grow bitter about it.

Maybe if she accepted another's interest, it would help? Draw him out some? She didn't know. All she knew was that now everyone was miserable, not just her, and strangely, that just made everything all the worse.

Leaving one hand to keep her present stable, Yuki raised the other and tried to alleviate her growing headache. It would seem that not even her own misery was enough. It would seem that nothing she did, or was, was ever enough. A rather new conclusion, one she'd found while trapped away in her rooms. All that time alone had given her ample opportunity to review her old ones. A terrible thing, really. No wonder why she hadn't stopped to think much as a human.

All thinking did was make her question herself. It made her look through books on hunter spells, praying she'd find evidence that she'd been right in her actions. It made her crave the blisters she'd had from Artemis Rod, wish for the taste of the Headmaster's terrible food, made her wish she still had someone to hold her when she cried.

Kaname had promised her that he would make her happy, if only she chose him. That he would make her better, if only she gave him time. That he would raise her from madness and help her deal with the creature that had woken inside of her. He'd told her that he'd do all of that, make everything well again, if only she followed him; if only she snuffed Kiryu and Yori and mortality.

Just like the tutors he'd hired told her to. Just like the instructors on vampiric society had instructed her to do. Just like the maids implied when they'd merely given her pity in exchange for her enquires to her then-fiancé's whereabouts. Just like she read in the library books she buried herself in during those lonely, cold, maddening nights so very alone in the terrible, beautiful, wretched manor! Locked away in the middle of nowhere while her brother mooned and moaned for the foster-sibling he made her leave behind.

Kaname said he'd make her better.

Where, oh, where had those promises gone?

Yuki strangled a shriek as her mental diatribe came to an end. She almost felt out of breath, though she'd not spoken one word as her mind raged. She'd become very good at that, she'd found. Kaname's aristocrats might think her vulgar and impulsive (oh, don't think she couldn't read them – she'd grown up in a privet school, after all) but they had no idea how much she held back. If not for her control, she had very little doubt the school would still be standing.

She could feel it, wild and thrumming beneath her skin, in every cell of her blood. If she could just control that, instead of only her emotions, then maybe she could win back what she'd lost.

Which is everything, she thought miserably. Her head fell back listlessly, dewy eyes on the hatchling sunset beyond the hedge surrounding the rose garden. A memory of a smile kissed her lips as one of the last rays caught the face of the mirror in her lap. Yes, Yuki Cross Kuran had lost a great deal, but she did have the gifts her Lady Sara had sent her.

Drawing her gaze back to the gift in her lap, Yuki smiled slightly. It was such a lovely thing, the beautiful silver mirror. Not to mention that, when soaked in her blood, yew water, and a bit of the ashes of something connected to the person she wanted to see, it would show her that person. It had been so helpful, allowing her to spy on the private meetings her dear Kaname held with his lauded inner circle.

Thank the gods a bit of Aidou's coat had become caught on the rubble when he'd tumbled from the balcony. She only wished she'd been able to snatch something from one of the ones Kaname trusted more – like Siren or Ichijo.

Still, Yuki wasn't greedy. It had told her what no one else would, after all.

Or, rather more accurately, it had shown her.

Like watching a film, Yuki had looked in on the gathering, intrigued by the casual air with which they treated each other. She'd made sure to keep an eye on her brother's nobles, watching for when they all seemed to disappear – and then she too had left, up to her room. There, she had done just as Sara's letter instructed, and then watched, gleefully, as her brother's interior sitting room came into view.

Yuki might have giggled a little at the nobles' nervous twittering – how unlike the stiff disproval she was used to! – but for the fact that Kaname hadn't bothered to shush them. Rather, her tall, imperious brother had merely sat still, upper body moulded to the contours of his wingback chair, as though proper posture were an effort beyond his reach.

While always pale, in the mirror he'd appeared nearly gaunt, eyes shadowed and mouth drawn taut. There'd been a certain deadness in his eyes, a deep sort of pain. It had hurt her to watch, but then, the hunter books she'd found had assured her that these were common signs of a magic-bond being broken. She'd almost been grateful for her forced seclusion, then, for if she hadn't read that book, she might have actually doubted that she'd been right to get rid of Kiryu!

As it was, however, the book had comforted her enough that she now believed fully that Kaname would get better. That his strength would return, and with it his aura would recede. It was all written right there. How long it would take hadn't been clear, but Yuki had decided it would take quite a bit of time. Kiryu had been quite powerful, after all.

Secure in this knowledge, she'd watched the meeting long enough to learn that Ichijo and Shiki were being sent to search for Kiryu (for punishment, she'd assumed), and then cleaned the mirror and put it away. She'd had other things to attend to, after all. The Samhain Ball was a mere twenty-five days away, and besides, the mirror-gift deserved to have a letter written back to it. What would Yuki care for the details of Kiryu's corpse's recovery?

(Steadfastly, she ignored the twitch in her heart her once-brother's name brought. It was so hard to reconcile her mortal memories with the new values she'd been bestowed with. She'd thought so long as Zero was in one piece and away from her she could manage it. Then, after seeing him again and realizing her prior plan was a failure, she'd sought to make him hate her. It would be much easier to distance herself if their relationship were already severed at his end, after all. Then she could devote her full self to Kaname. Instead, that distance had only given Kiryu more chance to hurt her, and by stealing her brother! Such a traitorous creature deserved death, no?

Damn her mortal-raised heart.)

Pursing her lips at her weakness, Yuki began to gather her things up. Originally she'd meant to use the mirror once more, hoping that Aidou might show her something useful, but she'd become distracted by the sun on her face. Instead of scrying, she'd wasted the hours before sunset basking and musing, ignoring the slight burn at the corner of her eyes and her lethargy. To sit in the sun was a luxury she rarely granted herself – having been chastised for it by every and anyone at the Manor – but today she'd needed it. It would seem that sometimes her human hangups could still comfort her, when hidden from the view of others.

Tucking the encased mirror and its assorted paraphernalia into her bag, Yuki smiled at the sunset's last light caught at the pendant hanging from her neck. Just long enough for the strange sapphire – its colour more periwinkle than blue – to sparkle most beautifully, its silver setting fey-like against the triple string of pearls. It had come with Lady Sara's last letter, along with an invitation to meet. It was rather foreword of her, having only exchange letters with Yuki a scant two days, but truth be told, Yuki didn't care. She was mortal-raised, and though it shamed her, she'd decided early on that it was okay to indulge every once in a while.

Kaname's eyes flickered in her mind, warm and brown and loving. Her hands clenched as a lance of hurt shot through her heart. If she could not have what she really wanted, she thought, then she could at least have that.

* * *

Far from the roses his sister favoured, one Kaname Kuran closed his burning eyes against the last golden rays of sunset. Like this, he could almost pretend that everything was back to normal. If he breathed lightly, he could almost say that there was no ash in his mouth, no knife in his heart. Like this, hand clasped around the ivory knight of his chess board, Kaname Kuran could hold himself together.

His free hand clenched, nails breaking through the skin of his palm. Almost. He could almost hold himself together, and oh, how it galled him.

Every conscious moment, he could feel the rage nipping at the back of his mind. With every intake of air, the anger grew hotter. Black misery fueled it. In response, he breathed softer, and never through his nose. Not when he knew that all he would catch of Zero's scent were fading remnants. Not when his every sense screamed at him that all he would ever have were remnants, ruins, because his lethal silver love was—

No.

No.

No.

Don't think that way. Just breathe. Slowly, softy. Swallow the knot in your throat, ignore the razor blades lining every vein, every muscle. Ignore the aching, seething blackness where he once was, tamp it down, don't let it break through your skin—

But it already had, hadn't it? It had broken through three nights after Zero had left, a wave of pain that felled him like a bullet to the skull. Kaname had woken on the fourth day to find misery in his blood and Takuma at his side. Tactfully, his second had avoided mentioning the thick miasma of his aura, but even in his pain Kaname wasn't oblivious. He did what he could, but the dimming of Zero's half-formed bond to him was the last stressor his tenuous control could take.

Tentatively, Kaname reached for that well of energy inside himself. As had happened many times since waking two days ago, a wince stole across his face. What should have been full of stored power now felt half-full and ever-waning, vitriolic and searching. Too much of his power had joined his aura and it was making him, and everyone around him, ill. Gently, Kaname reached for his last line of defense, a thin light in the darkness. His last hope. His last connection to Zero.

It was so small, Kaname thought, fearfully. Never had their bond been so small. It flickered dismally, as if it knew of its own delicacy and dreaded the day someone tried to break it. Kaname could feel the rage spike at the thought and pulled away, scared that Zero might feel his anger and try to fight him off, to get away.

The thought of Zero being any farther away was enough to make him sick. Kaname knew he wouldn't be able to stop if that light were to become any less. Worlds would end before he would stop. Before he could be stopped, because the gods knew he would be helpless against himself. Only Zero had ever had that power over him. Only Zero ever would.

And that was why Zero needed to be found. If not for Kaname's sake, then for the rest of the world's. Oh, how he hated how he could not do it himself. That rage was nearly enough to push him over the edge, his spite for his own inadequacy so large it could swallow seas. The thought of Zero held him back, though. Held him close, showed him reason.

Zero would not appreciate Kaname turning the world to rubble to find him. Zero would not appreciate Kaname's insanity. It was a state that would surely follow if he were to give into the void's demands. Demands that he search and hunt and kill, let none stand in his way. Oh king, how your enemies mock you, they shan't when their greatest loves drown in blood—

No! Kaname thought, fighting viciously for control. What was left of Zero's tattered bond to him shuddered violently. It always seemed to do that, when Kaname slipped a little. It only made the hate grow, only made it so much harder to keep his inner monster in hand. Oh, how terrible it was to see his most treasured piece wither.

"You need to find him," Kaname bit out, hand white-knuckle tight around his ivory knight.

He felt ill. Tired. Shaky with the effort of leashing his power and maintaining his connection to Zero. His full weight leant against his wingback chair, for even the little effort it took to maintain proper posture was beyond him at this point. Another sign of his weakness.

Oh, the anger he felt. Whoever was responsible for this would find no sanctuary, no safe harbour. Whatever their aim, their goal, Kaname would see it burned before their eyes. Their hearts would be his.

A hand touched his shoulder, gentle but firm, reassuring. "We will. I swear, we will."

Takuma. Oh, what would Kaname do without him? The words were like a balm to the edges of his worst wounds. Without a doubt, this situation would be so much worse without Takuma. Without all of his court, come to think of it. The knowledge of that loyalty was enough to settle the worst of the tension in his muscles, though not enough to fully lull him. Not so long as Zero's connection was still so frail.

Hopefully, that would be remedied soon.

As it was, Kaname slowly inclined his head and motioned for Takuma to continue his update.

Takuma did so softly, his voice and face clear of the urgency Kaname could see in his posture. Affection welled in him at the gesture. "We've managed to track Kiryu-san to Tokyo's downtown core, specifically a small network of alleys. It was difficult, likely due to wards, but our dowsers managed it admirably. In the end, they tracked him by his magic expenditure, so whether or not he is actually in the area is uncertain. However, due to evidence of his injuries, it's unlikely he's gone far."

Something in Kaname's bones told him it was worse than it sounded, that something other than wards had interfered. The dowsers in Kaname's court used only the most cunning crystals, the most clever parchment and maps and inks. Their findings were always precise, and Kaname had made sure they had ample material to use as a base line. It would take something extreme for them to feel the need to track by how much of Zero's raw power had been used in the area.

However, Kaname kept his questions to himself. He had too much else to worry about, just with watching the link and keeping himself centered. He needed to trust this time. Zero's well-binging depended on it.

So, instead of demanding Takuma outline every inch of his plans and their consequences, Kaname merely nodded, eyes closing exhaustedly. "I trust you and your selected will be leaving within the hour?"

They'd already been forced to wait two days, something Kaname couldn't be properly angry about without taking out the wing he resided in. In that time, it had become clear that the entire mission Zero had been sent on was bogus, a construction of some yet-unknown enemy. When Headmaster Cross and Toga Yagari had found out, they had, reportedly, been somewhat apocalyptic with rage.

Kaname was quietly grateful it had been Takuma who'd had the pleasure of informing them.

"Yes," Takuma confirmed, before going quiet. The hand on Kaname's shoulder squeezed briefly in comfort, and Kaname tried to ignore his irritation at forgetting it was still there.

"We will bring him home, you know," his friend of many years said.

"I know you will," Kaname replied. They both pretended they could not here the 'or there will be nothing to return to' floating at the tail of Kaname's words.

* * *

**Oh, um. Hi, guys. *Toes the ground awkwardly*. So, I know this took a while, and Zero isn't even in it, but please don't hate me! I tried, but this was a dreadful chapter to write. Hopefully I managed to format it in an understandable way. If not, feel free to yell at me.**

**Anyway, deep thank you's go to all my wonderful reviewers: A_ccioNimbus2000, TwistedNoir, ben4kevin, Inu no youkai, Gravity's Child, kuroko22, Toshiro Hitsugaya lover1, Airy89, Guest, welshdragon94, Guest, yuzukikuran476,_ and last but not least, _AnimangaLoverFE_!**

**Also, thank you to the lovely SunaT.U for beta-ing and making this beautiful!**

**Sincerely,**

**BlackRoseGirl666**


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